PORT OF LONDON.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13901, 12 May 1909, Page 3

PORT OF LONDON.

COMING IMPROVEMENTS. Historic will be the first meeting of the new Port of London. Authority, which was held under the presidency of Sir Hudson Kearley, who outlined the duties which-will fall to this newly-, constituted body, and foreshadowed important improvements- at the docks. Sir Hudson Kearley said they were met to inaugurate the important work of setting up a public authority for the administration of the Port of London, the greatest' port in the world. The Port Authority would have to consider the state of the river and the accommodation and the facilities in the Port of London, and "would have to take such steps as might be considered necessary to effect any improvement. They would also have to .complete and sub-: mit to the. Board o!f. Trade within six months a schedule of maximum port rates on goods, which before being adopted would require parliamentary approval and sanction. I Apart from the consideration of schemes- of construction and improvement and sources pf'increased revenue, there was, he continued, the more pressing work of organising adequate machinery capable of coping with the responsibilities devolving upon them. Oil March 31st they, would have transferred to them tlie three dock undertakings hitherto conducted by the London and India, the Surrey Commercial, and the Millwall Companies. In addition to those properties they would take over their staff, their workmen, and their trade, and they would probabh find that they were organised 011 systems differing in many particu ars. The great and initial responsibility <■! the new authority would be to weld these into one control and management. In addition the oowers hitherto exeroi • • I by the Thames Conservancy in the tidal portion of the river would pass to the new authority, and its' jurisdiction would extend from the land limit at Teddiugton to the limit of the Port, five miles beyond the Nore, a distance of about seventy miles.. The magnitude of the trade of the port might be best expressed by the fact that one-third of the imports and one-fourth of the exports of the United Kingdom - passed through its gates. The £400,000,000, worth of goods which came and went every year was carried in a fleet so vast that 34,000,000 tons •of shipping entered and cleared annually. Nearly 1000 vessels passed Gravesend every day, and 10,000. barges were constanly employed to distribute their cargoes.to the wharves and warehouses of the:port. • ' ' Private enterprise • 111 •• the past had done much. to' build lip tl jis huge trade: but competition in shipping, coupled with the growth'in tho? size - of ships, had made rlie- question of •' accommodation and facilities the dominant factor in the prosperity - of- a port.' . They know that rival-ports, not only m:this country,' but 011' the' Continent , had by the wise expenditure '■ of • capital- been ■ enabled to • keep .abreast' of .".the ■■ requirements of the'day.'' ■. •• But circumstances unfortunately, luut • prevented London from doing the same. Those' amongst wliom' the-task- of mak-

iiig provision for the trade of the port Had beeii 1 dividied,' without larger authority . arid" revenue powers tlian Parlia-. ment wqujd' entrust to them, w§re necessarily incapable of making such systematic improvements for its present and future need as to ensure the maintenance of its position.' Thus it was that the new authority, came into existence armed, with great administrative and financial powers, which would enable it to carry for the common (rood anv works found to be necessary; " The authority afterwards decided to postpone the Question of appointing a vice-chairman until, the next meeting on March 23., Mr' Philipson, the secretary of the Thames Conservancy, was

noivunted, to act as temporary secreA special committee .of members was appointed, entrusted with the of preparing a scheme for. the orcam.satioiv of the work of the Port Authority, and of reporting at once to the authority as to the ; standing committees w b" appointed, and. the division of work into departments - voider the nianagement of .principal officers.