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

TO MERCHANTS, SHIPOWNERS, AND OTHERS

GENTLEMEN,
TN consequence of the great demand for increased
1 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, conve
ing it into a Floating Dock of 150 acres—making, with

works authorised under the act of 1844,an anea.oF2o74;cres
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 lichester road; having a frontage to the Birkenhead Dock of
2500 yards, which form its northern boundary, while on the
south side it 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 fire 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 2723 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 dock 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 480,000. 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 port, the
bills of ladinc, may be filled up to Liverpool or Birkenhead, at
the option of consignee.—I remain, Gentlemen, your most
obedient servant, MACGREGGOR LAlltll, Secretary.
Birkenhead Dock Company's Offices,
Birkenhead, let 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 ...t10,281 18 8
Neu- 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.. 5,9262 0
5 5
-United States of America 55,166 16 9 .. 44,1211 15 16
9 0 Brit. America & Newfoundland 9,787 7 8.. 18,451 10 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
------

105,032 3 2 4;127447 7 7
In addition to the sum of .4105,032 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 .4185,032 3s. 2d., which, if the same quantity of Goods
had entered the Birkenhead Docks, would have been saved to
the proprietors.

No. 2.—Eslimated comparative statement attending the Import,
into Liverpool, of 1,000 bales New Orleans Cotton, fair qua-
lity, Liverpool classification, supposing the Cotton to be
Warehoused and held for Six Months in Warehouses on
Dock Quays and in the 'Town Warehouses. Value of Cotton,
say 420,0001b5. at 4!(-1. per lb., X 8,023 15s.

Rate of
charges

LIVERPOOL

Charges. per cent.
on value
Town dues, 2d. per bale .
.t'B 6 8 of Cotton
Dock dues, 3d. per lOOlbs., less Is. 3d 35 0 0
Weighing on quay loading, lighting, and

stowing in Warehouse, dd. per bare 2O 16 8
Cartage, first length, 2id. per bale 9 7 6
Mending, canvas and twine, say in good
order, 4d. per bale
Warehouse rent, 6 months at td. per bale
per week 67 14 2
Re-weighing. in Warehouse and delivering,
li pe
d. r bale 6 5 0
Removing scales and weights, if only once 0 3 0
Fire Insurance in certified Warehouses,
(10s. Gd. per cent., Is. Gd. duty,) 12s. per
cent.*
Cartage from Warehouse to Railway, or
Duke's Dock, 3rd length, at 3d. per bale 12 10 0

4'225 7 6 .t 2 15
Rate o

BIRKENHEAD

Charges. per cen
on vain
of Cotto
_ _

Town dues, None
Dock dues, None
Weighing on quay, and stowing in Ware-
house, at 3d. per bale—(No loading or
lighting)
Cartage to Warehouse, None
Mending, canvas and twine, say in good
order, 4d. per bale
Warehouse rent, 6 months, at id. per bale
per week
Re-weighing in Warehouse and delivering,
lid. per bale
Removing weights and scales
Fire Insurance (at ss. prem., duty Is. 6d.),
6s. 6d. per cent.t
Cartage to Railway or Water conveyance,
None required

to 0 0
0 0 0

12 10 0
0 0 0

54 3 4

6 5 0
0 0 0

0 0 (

17 t

_
Charges by the present system, t 2.25 7s. 6d.
By Birkenhead Dock Warehouses, .4115 17s. Pd.
Saying by proposed plan on every 1,000 bales of cotto
£lO9 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. Gd. per cent.
t The rate of Insurance being only 2s. Gd. per cent. on shni-
lar dock warehouses in London, it is expected this rate will be
reduced.

—Comparative statement of charges on Timber dis-
charged in Liverpool and Birkenhead Docks.
Per 1000 feet. Liverpool. Birkenhead.
Dock dues, 6d. per load of 50 feet 4:0 10 0 .-0 0 0
'Town dues, 6d. per do. do.
Drawing timber from ship to quay, 12s.
per 1000 feet
Carting to yard per ditto
tili ding and piling per ditto
Load Only in Birkenhead per ditto
Carting in for delivery Bd. per 250 feet
g th Car • - team of
250 feet Farrier, 3s. 6d. per

O 12 0 0 12 0
014 0 0 0 0
012 0 0 0 0
000 0 9 0
028 0 0 0

Cranage at Wharf, 10d. per 50 feet

0 0 0
0 16 8

:4 Difference in favour of Birkenhead per 1000
.4`'ll et 4

el 17 8
i." 2 13 8

fio•
4.—Amount of Dock and Town Daft charged ,44
upon the cargo of a Flour tons from New
Dock Rates on 5260 barrels,eraging each 19C)
lbs., 9205 cwt. at lit, per cwt .... .. ............
Town Dues on Ditto, ditto, at per barrel ......

Dock Rates on 2060 bales Cotton, averaging
each 4 cwt. 922,8801b5. at 2d. per 10011)s-476 18 2
Town Duties on ditto ditto, at hl. per bale 17 3 4

On the cargo bv

tering the Birkenhead D0ck5.4154 6 11

On Flour, grain, provisions, turpentine, oils, and all articl(
of great bulk, and comparatively small value, the savinc,
charges will be _

Is great as in the

N.B.—Ships in the Birkenhead Docks will be allowed, under
proper regulations, the use of fire and lights ; the heavy charge
for boarding the crew on shore, et present incurred in Liver-
pool, may therefore be saved.