The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-09-08 00:00:00

BIRKENHEAD DOCK COMPANY.

INCORPORATED BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT,
8 and 9 VICTORIA, Session 1845.
Capital One Million, in 10,000 Shares of £lOO each.

DIRECTORS.
Dets.
Joseph Bailey, Jun., Esq., M. , airman.
Wm. Potter, Esq., Deputy-Chairman.
John Laird, Esq.' e- J. T. Clay, Esq.
M. F. Brownrigg, E5.!....v.." Augustus Radcliffe, Fsq.
John Macvicar, Esq Henry Winch, Esq.,
Robert Barbour, Esq. I Wm. Whitwell, Esq.,
Ambrose Lace, Esq. Win. Laird, Esq.
MACGREGOR LAIRD, Esq., Secretary,
Offices, Argyle-street, Birkenhead.

TO MERCHANTS, SHIPOWNERS, AND OTHERS.
GENTLEMEN,
TN consequence of the great demand for increased
_L accommodation to the trade of the Mersey, Parliament
sanctioned, in 1844, the construction of Dock Works on the west
bank of the river, by the Birkenhead Dock Commissioners ,an
exempted vessels entering their works from the payment of th
Liverpool dock rates. In 1845, a second act empowered the
Commissioners to deepen and wall in Wallasey Pool, cone
ing it into a Floating Dock of 150 acres—making, with
• works authorised under the act of 1844, an area of 2071 acres
dock accommodation.
In 1845, the Birkenhead Dock Company was incorporated,
with a capital of one million, for the purpose of constructing
warehouses and other conveniences for trade, on the plan of
the London Dock Companies, upon the south side of the Bir-
kenhead Dock; This company has purchased the ground co-
loured'red on the accompanying plan, from the railway station
to Ilchester road, having a fronta,ge to the Birkenhead Dock of
2500. yards, which form its northern boundary, while on the
south side t is bounded by a railway, communicating via Ches-
ter with the general railway system of the kingdom.
By this arrangement the owners of all goods warehoused on
the premises of the Birkenhead Dock Company will save in ex-
penses
Ist. The cartage to and from the ship and warehouse.
2nd. At least one-third the present expense of porterage.
3rd. One-half the present rate of tire insurance.
4th. All dock dues, no rates being levied on produce of any
description entering the Birkenhead Docks.
. sth. All pilferage.
6th. Damage from exposure to the weather, the goods being
under cover from the time they leave the ship's hold until de-
livered into the river craft or upon the railway truck.
The annexed plan of the Liverpool and Birkenhead Docks
shows the relative position and dimensions of the dock works
on both sides of the Mersey, and the distances from the Ex-
change, which may be considered the common centre of busi-
ness,
The Birkenhead Dock Commissioners are a public body,
created in 1844 by the Act of Parliament which authorised the
construction of the docks ; to them the crown has granted an
area of wharfage and water space of 2721 acres, which form the
site of the works ; on the security of this property and the rates
which are to be levied on the shipping making use of the docks,
they have borrowed money for their construction.
The maximum rate they are allowed by the act to charge is
one shilling and sixpence per register ton (or such less rate as
• may be sufficient to pay the interest of the money borrowed
for the construction of the works on the shipping entering
their docks, but they have no power to charge dock rates upon
goods or produce from any part of the world ; all cargoes.
therefore, discharged in these docks are free of dock-rates.
In Liverpool the dock rates are levied upon all goods entering
the docks, and the statement, No. 1 annexed, will show the
saving that would accrue in thick dues alone to each trade by
making use of the Birkenhead docks.
In addition to dock dues, the Corporation of Liverpool levy
a rate, called Town's dues, on all goods landed and shipped.
In 1845 these dues amounted to £BO,OOO. It is believed that
they cannot be enforced on goods landed or shipped at Birk-
enhead.
The Commissioners of Birkenhead, having their first dock
nearly completed, expect to open for general trade in the course
of the present year, and the Birkenhead Dock Company will
. have warehouses for a considerable quantity of produce ready
at the same time.
I, therefore, beg to call your attention to the advantages they
offer, particularly for bulky goods, in the saving of charges,
and to suggest that in any shipments made to this pore, the
bills of lading may be filled up to Liverpool or Birkenhead, at
the option of the consignee.—I remain, Gentlemen, your most
obedient servant, MACGREGGOR LAIRD, Secretary.
• Birkenhead Dock Company's Offices,
Birkenheaa, Ist Sept., 1846.

No.l.—Statement of Dock Rates received at the Port of Liver-
pool, on Goods and Shipping, in the Year ending 24th June,
1845.

WHERE FROM. ON GOODS. ON SHIPPING.
• East Indies . £11,041 16 4 ...t•10,281 18 8
New S. Wales and New Zealand 389 17 10 .. 355 7 3
West Coast of South America 1,429 17 5.. 2,584 13 3
Brazils .
West Indies and Gulf of Mexico 6,156 19 4.. 5,901 16 g.
United States of America 55,166 16 9.. 44,121 15 0
Brit. America & Newfoundland 9,787 7 8.. 18,451 ID 0
West Coast of Africa 2,022 2 3.. 7,259 8 3
• Mediterranean 7,046 12 4.. 6,994 3 4
• Ports in the Baltic
European Ports
Coasters 0 0 0.. 21,174 16 6

£103,032 3 2 .t 127,447 7 7
In addition to the sum of .e 105,932 3s. 2d. levied upon the
Cargoes of Ships entering and leaving the Liverpool Docks, a
further sum of .4 80,000 was paid as Town Dues, making a total
sum of £185,032 3s. 241., which, if the same quantity of Goods
bad entered the Birkenhead Docks, would have been saved to
the proprietors.

No.
2.—Edimated comparative statement attending the Import,
into Liverpool, of 1,000 bales New Orleans Cotton, fair qua-
lily, Liverpool clarification, supposing the Cotton to be
IVarehoused and held for &V Months in Warehouses on
Dock Quays and in the Town Warehouses. Value of cotton,
say 420,0001b5. at 4td. per lb., ~e 8,093 15s.

Rate of
charges
Charges. per cent.
on value
Town dues, 2d. per bale . £8 6 8 of Cotton.
Dock dues, 3d. per 1001bs., less Is. 3d 35 0 0
Weighing on quay loading, lighting, and
stowing in Warehouse, sd. per bale 2O 16 8
Cartage, first length, 2id. per bale 9 7 6
Mending, canvas and twine, say in good
order, 44,, per bale l6 13 4
Warehouse rent, 6 months at id. per bale
per week ' 67 14 2
Re.weighing in Wkrehouse and delivering,
lid. per bale 6 5 0
Removing scales and weights, if only once 0 3 0
Fire Insurance in certified Warehouses,
(10s. 6d. per cent., is. 6d. duty,) 12s. per
cent..
Cartage from Warehouse to Railway, or
Duke's Dock, 3rd length, at 3d. per bale 12 10 0

LIVERPOOL.

..€225 7 6 £2 15 8
Rate of
charges
BIRKENHEAD. Charges. per cent.
on value
Town dues, None 0 0 of Cotton.
Dock dues, None
Weighing on quay, and stowing in Ware
house, at 3d. per bale—(No loading or
lighting)
Cartage to Warehouse, None 0 0 0
Mending, canvas and twine, say in good
order, 4d. per bale
Warehouse rent, 6 months, at ad. per bale
per week 54 3 4
Re-weighing in Warehouse and delivering,
lad. per bale 6 5 0
Removing weights and scales 0 0 0
Fire Insurance (at ss. prem., duty Is. 6d.),
6s. 6d. per cent.t 26 6 1
Cartage to Railway or Water conveyance,
None required 0 0 0

£1517 9 41 1 7
Charges by the present system, -€225 7s. 6d.
By Birkenhead Dock Warehouses, .ell 5 17s. 9d.
Saving by proposed plan on every 1,000 bales of cotton,
109 9s. 9d.
* This rate is on Floating Policies, under which most of the
cotton in Liverpool is charged ; in warehouses not certified, the
rate should by 17s. 6d. per cent.
t The rate of Insurance being only 2s. 6d. per cent. on simi-
lar dock warehouses in London, it is expected this rate will be
reduced.

No. 3.—Comparative statement of charges on Timber dis-
charged in Liverpool and Birkenhead Docks.
Per 1000 feet. Li. n head.
Dock dues, 6d. per load of 50 feet ve 0
10 rpo ol Birke
0 .4'o 0 0
Town dues, 6d. per do. Go.
Drawing timber from ship to quay, 12s.
per 1000 feet
Carting to yard per ditto
Loading and piling per ditto
Piling only in Birkenhead per ditto
Loading for delivery Bd. per 250 feet .. 02 8 00 0
lid to Carrier, 35. •
230 feet per team of
0 14 0 0 0 0
Cranage at wharf, 10d. per 50 feet Ol6 8 016 8

.t'4 11 Difference in favour of Birkenhead per 1000 feet 4 117 8
.....e2 13 8

No. 4.—Amount of Dock and Town Dues charged to Liverpool
upon the cargo of a ship of 1000 tons from New York.
Dock Rates on 5260 barrels Flour, averaging each Mem 7 11
lbs., 9205 cwt. at Id, per cwt.
Town Dues on Ditto, ditto, at Id. per barrel 2l 18 4

60
Dock Rates on 2060 bales Cotton, averaging each 4 cwt. 922,8801bs at 2d. per 1001b5..e76 18 2
Town Duties on ditto ditto, at Id. per bale 17 3 4

Saving on the cargo by entering the Birkenh ___ 94 1 6
ead Docks.el 54 6 11
On Flour, grain, provisions, turpentine, oils, and all articles
of great bulk, and comparatively small value, the saving in
charges will be proportionately as great as in the example
• given.
N.B.—Ships in the Birkenhead Docks will be allowed under
proper reulations, the use of fire and lights ; the heavy charge
for boarding the crew on shore, at present iAcurred in Liver-
pool, may therefore be saved.