THE RIVER THAMES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 11 June 1907, Page 1

THE RIVER THAMES.

NECESSITY -FOB^GREAT IM- •■■■-.- PROVEMENTS. " ;,

The London m its commercial supplement fi^April 15, contains a lengthy 'article on the ; great need for reformed legislation -for the Port of London. The writer calls urgently upon the Government to settle, this momentous question.' 'London,. he. avers, is at the parting ~oi~. the ways, 4 and it arangementsareTjdt'ipeedilyinade by which fthe necessary -money/ '.for the extension of docks anaiim_provements pan be obtained," tote-p remier port of the world will sl6vfly';.But^nrely. decline in importance. The docks are now working at practically their maximum; capacity, and *h«re:is norooni -for another largo line of steamers.. But it ought not ,ty> be difficult for -the;'. Gpyernmerit, ■ the, dock ■.companies/ "sbipo'wning, and other interests;: to deyiSe some, scheme which, will irieet .the- riqitfr^nents of .the port for some'.,years^tp-Come:. That the- port is in" danger. -of-, losing" some^ of its trade': is undoubted,- oVing,-: chiefly to the vast. increa«'ai '-'in the: ■siz» of oceangoing r^v/essels.'.snd.-' the ■ fore-mentioned, limited! aocking i facilities.; Tho port uhould; howeyer,,vbe. ! ,a)iead':.of -any possible 'amount and kind of. "trade.- That this is not the^case is not due so much to the- dock companies as to past and present governments^ V'Sihce 1837 the river .lias been . under; the control of the Thames Conservaiicy,- whose operations have '.ptpyed.' -very, inadequate, though the present/programme of the Conser.vators r -s)iows" some improvement. ■ There-has 'been : ths>;^ame paralysis -here as witli;j,he' dock companies^ mrtil. the Government reorganises this finances and control of- the '''jfqrMpr ieayes "some 6ther^to'.;do .'it^lui'ionditibn of lethargy isiU rantmne.. lii 1905 tie Thames Oonsiyrvancy robtelnedj a. bUI ■by which, they 1 prbvide;'s ■■ channel 1000 ft. wide ajid-30ft.;:{deep' aj. low .water from the Nore to_ a length of about 21- miles, and dome. progress has alrea'dj^been made.w)lh the work. But in tbe^-'near fstnrp:Vnibre than 30fb in depth' -l^iir bbVnecessjry if -'it is hoped to dra* the 'largest -yesels, either mercantile-: <>r : nayal v ■ ; The existing depths, of the river from Gravesend. to London Bridge "vary from SMft- at, the former, place' 'to only 14ft aijbw water ..at the " latter.;,.' For^ihe^ past five years the v dock extehsionS'.in' London have- been practically nil, the ' -docking companies not b>>iig able to pure'ue a spending policy vuhtil the- Government legislation has been definitely.'defined. The Lbndoa and ftidia/Dotiss BiH, which had ils^_ second reading., in "fiha House of Con>". morisr in April • Isist, .may' form soniß basis~ol.a,Goyevnment measure for the settlemehfe;oi ,tKei-BojV ptoWem. It -has .been esfimjited that the yeavly value of the trade of. the Port, of London amounts to' £285,000,000; of liiveVpool £277,500,000; New York £221,001;, 000; Hamburg £230,000,000 (including coasting, river, ajt3. canal trade); Ca*lcutta £59,000,600 ->A Hull £58,000,000: Bwnbay: £51-;pOO,000; ' ■ Singapore £43) - 000,000r; Glasgow "£35,000,0007 Sydney £38,000,000; SouthaAptoa'.£36,ooo,m During- lait year (I^6) the net registered" .tonnage 'of -ships entering ari^«a leaving jbhe .^lij^tJtondonjrtßtn^fgp, and paying dues'to '.lhe ■ Conservancy ' Boardjr.araounfeol to' th| record total of 21,148,000, bemg'v; an' increase of 1,278,000 tons over; the figures of the previous year, 190?.- This takes no accopnt of other' vessels entering and leaving, and does not include any barge traffic} vesel.s in" "ballast,- -passenger vessels,: XgsieU^ under "^o. 'tons, and other local iraffic. -Though? this increase appears -yery:satfsfacto^y on the face, if the .total tomiage ,vras taken- out fora periodS'.of, "• say, ; '2o> years, the.rate of progre^y- wouSi /be- seen to have hveso slow. . - - ■"■ . • '.