The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-03-24 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL DOCK BILL.

The bill went into committee of the Commons on
Tuesday last. The committee were, Mr. John Philpotts,
(chairman,) Sir H. Douglas, Lord Sandon, Sir P. Eger-
ton, Mr. Tollemache, and six others. For the promoters
three counsel appeared, and four for the opponents—own-
ers, occupiers, water and gas companies, &c., but several
others bad no representatives, their object merely being
to procure the introduction of certain clauses.
Mr. Talbot, for the promoters, urged the rapidly in-
creasing trade of the pori, and dwelt on the well-digested
scheme of the new docks at Wapping.
Mr. Bramley-Moore was then examined by Mr. Ser-
' geant Bellasis, in answer to whom he stated he was chair-
man of the Dock Committee, a body which had the ma-
nagement and regulation of the whole of the Liverpool
docks. Including the basins, the present extent of dock
space was about 120 acres, the whole of which was in ac-
tual use. Powers had been obtained from parliament for
Considerably enlarging this space, and when the docks
were added to it, which were now in course of construc-
tion, the whole extent would be 200 acres. Sixty-seven
acres were now under construction. The present wants
of the port were sufficient to absorb the whole of the new
works. The trade of the port had rapidly increased in
many particulars. He would first refer to the general
trade in decennial periods from 1815 :
Year. Acres of water space. Tons of shipping.
1815 .. 52 .. 709,849
1825....
1835 . .
. .12 909 1 768,426
1845 3,016,531
The trade of the port had increased, in fact, much faster
than the dock accommodation ; and the above figures
sufficiently proved that they had been behind-hand in pro-
viding accommodation. The dock trustees had no per-
sonal interest in the management of the docks ; they re-
ceived no salaries ; they were merchants, who managed
the affairs gratuitously ; and the docks were public, he
might say national property. The increase of tonnage in
1845 over 1844 had been nearly 400,000 tons, an increase
unexampled in any other English port. In Bristol the in-
crease had been 20,000 tons : in Hull 58,000. In London
the increase in two years had been 154,373 tons. In 1844
the number of ships which entered Liverpool was 18,411 ;
in 1845 it was 20,521. A material reduction bad been
made in the dock rates within the last few years. In 1838
the rates were rednced 3E4 pe cent., and at the commence-
ment of last year the rates on East India, China, and
South American voyagers were reduced from 2s. 3d. to
Is. 6d. per ton. The maximum charge was now is. 6d.
Notwithstanding this reduction, there had been consider-
able increase in the revenue of the Dock Estate for 1845.
It amounted to £6,079 upon the six months correspond-
ing with six months in the previous year. The China
trade was increasing. It was but partially developed yet.
The trade to India had increased 20 percent. in late years,
and it was yet increasing. The trade to the United States
and the American continent had increased 30 per cent.
He had no doubt whatever that all these trades were still
increasing, and if any material changes were made in the
tariff, they would, to a very great extent, affect the quan..
tity of trade in Liverpool. It was quite impossible for
him, however, to arrive at any certain conclusion upon
this subject, because the trade had already surpassed all
the calculations made respecting it. It was desirable, but
he did not think it possible to forestall the accommoda-
tion necessary for it. He did not think that all the Dock
Trustees could do in this respect would be sufficient, but
they anticipated as far as they could. The timber trade
had been supposed to have arrived at its extent in Liver-
pool, and evidence had been given to that effect before
parliament; but the following tables would show that it
bad increased. First, with regard to timber imported
from British America :

Year. Vessels. Tonnage.
184 1
1845......
Then, with regard to Baltic timber for the same periods :
Year. Vessels. Tonnage.
1844... ...... ... 51. . .. • 14,144
18 15 ....
In reply to a member of the committee, Mr. Moore
stated that the great increase had been in foreign vessels.
Foreign vessels largely preponderated ; but he could not,
with accuracy, state the proportion. Foreign vessels had
an advantage now which formerly they did not possess,
inasmuch as that many foreign ports now took British
manufactures that formerly did not; and, unfortunately,
in consequence of the exclusion of certain produce from
consumption in England, they got all the back carrying
trade to the Continent, or a very large proportion of it.
No difference in charge was made between British and
Foreign ships. With regard to the mahogany trade, there
were imported into Liverpool,

In 1844
In 1845
and the importation had been doubled concurrently with
a continued advance in prices throughout the country.
Mahogany was used for a great variety of purposes, and
the Dock Trustees were thinking of using it about the
docks. At present there were no facilities for conveying
timber from Liverpool into the interior of the country,
and when those facilities were afforded by means of the
railway trucks being taken to the quay-side, the trade
would decidedly increase. A railway was projected as
far as Sandbach, to go through the salt districts of Che-
shire, and this would increase the trade of Liverpool, be-
cause the salt could be put on board vessels at less ex-
pense. The following was the increase of the salt trade
in Liverpool:—

Years. Tons.
1844 . ...
1815
At present there was no accommodation in Liverpool for
the export of coals; but if there' were facilities, coals
would be taken by vessels as ballast, independently of the
regular trade in execution of orders. The foreign coal
trade was greatly increasing, and it would increase more
when the trucks could be brought to the ship side at once,
without the expense of cartage, which was an insuperable
impediment to the trade. Hallways along the quay sides
would be equally beneficial to the merchandise imported.
When cotton was thought desirable to be put on the
truck, instead of being warehoused, it might go strnght
away to Manchester at once, but he hoped that the new
system of warehousing round the docks would prevent
that altogether, and keep it in Liverpool.
Mr. Hartley, surveyor to the Dock Committee, was
then called. He gave details of his estimate, the total
amount of which was, exclusive of the land, £226,189.
The intended alterations in 'Wapping would be a very great
public improvement. It was desirable, he added, to se-
parate the dock quays from the street; and by the plan
proposed, instead of the present narrow street, the quay
would be 101 feet wide, and the street 75 feet wide. The
houses to be taken were principally of a small class. There
were some warehouses. In his judgment, the alteration
would be a very great improvement.. As to the estimates,
the Wapping portion would cost £101,475 ; basins,
£36,260 10s. ; alterations at Salthouse Dock, £16,651 lOs.
the works in Nova Scotia, £69, 345 ; and the Harrington
works (exclusive of the land), £3452.
Mr. John Stewart, surveyor, valued the Wapping pro-
perty at £500,000, and the rest at £241,500. The pro-
perty was of a mixed nature.

Mr. Weightman, surveyor, confirmed Mr. Stewart's
estimates. The total number of properties to be taken in
Wapping was 462. The assessment to the poor and other
rates was £26,477. The ground area of warehouses to be
taken down was about 23,478 yards.
Mr. Geo. Withers stated that the dock estate was in a
condition to pay the interest on the capital to be borrowed
for the completion of these works.
The committee again met on Wednesday, and unani-
mously decided that the preamble had been proved. I t
was decided that the promoters of the bill should not be
excluded from the operation of the Land Clauses Conso-
...

lidation Act of 1845.(which gives compensation to tenants
and owners). All the printed clauses were then passed.
A long discussion took place as to the rating of the in-
tended warehouses upon all the quays of the Albert Dock,
and a clause was inserted to the effect that they should be
erected under the act of 4th Victoria. The decision as to
their being liable to all parochial rates was postponed.
The remaining manuscript clauses were passed.
On Thursday, otter clauses were read and passed. A
discussion took place relative to the intended landing-
stage or stages—one party contending that two small
stages would be more suitable than one large one. Mr.

Cubit was in favour of the latter; but the question was
left undecided.

On Friday the committee met again, and, after consult-
ing with the speaker of the house, decided that the Select
Vestry had not a locus slandi, inasmuch as they had not
lodged a petition in proper time, and therefore could not
be heard. The counsel for the commissioners was then
heard on their behalf (a petition having been lodged in due
time), and urged that the proper legal notices could not
be given, as the clause authorising the erection of ware-
houses was not inserted in the bill as originally drawn, but
was new ma ter introduced into it. He therefore hoped
that as his clients could not succeed in introducing a
clause into the present bill to render the warehouses liable
to the local rates, that the committee would not allow the
clause to be introduced authorising the erection of ware-
houses. The committee-room was then cleared, and, on
being re-admitted, the chairman of the committee an-
nounced that they had rejected the clause. The dock
committee will, therefore, have to apply next session for
another bill to construct the warehouses, when all parties
will have an opportunity of giving the necessary parlia-
mentary notices.—The committee adjourned until Wed-
nesday (to-morrow}.