BRITISH CANALS TAKEN OVER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14285, 30 April 1917, Page 4

BRITISH CANALS TAKEN OVER.

TO BE WORKED BY THE STATE DURING THE WAR. ANOTHER; COMMITTEE. * ' A regulation under thfeDefence of the . Realm Act enables the Board of Trade to take possession- during' the", war of' any'! • canals m the United Kingdom. ' The Board of • Trade are abotit to madfe an Order under the new regulation taking possession of such of the non-railway owned canals' as are :required for essential traffic-. They propose to appoint an executive committee to control the canals on their behalf. . _ The total extent of canal, and naviga- I tions of the United 1 Kingdom is about 4670 miles, bf these about 3639 miles lie m England) and Wales, 183 m Scotland', and 848 m Ireland. > .'■'.- --| Ono thousand three hundred and sixty .miles aro railway owned and controlled/ and are already under Government, management. •"•-•■•• The principal canals are :—Birmingham 159, miles, Aire andCalder 85 miles. Lpeds a,nd "Liverpool 145 miles, Grand j Junction. 189. -mil.,i»R. Thames $iver (above, i London ' fißridjjfi&fififijfa Inglesliajrij 144! piles, , Trent and' JVlersey Navigation 119 milefy {'Regent's, Canal „11 nplps,. Weaver Navi--1 gatio'h „s&' fnile's, : . and South • Yorkshire. Navigation 60 miles. In 1873 Parliament prohibited' tlio further, acquisition or control of. canals by railway companies. But the mischief re-