The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-07-17
INVADING THE THAMES.
Latest Example Of American
Aggression In England.
MOVE TO REFORM PORT OF LONDON

The American shipping Combine
wakes Up the British Capital TO
the Deficiencies Of ITS River-Long
Series Of Locks Planned, on which
the Greatest ships could Always
Float.
Nothing has so startled the English
public Of late as the Invasion as they
call it, Of American capital and enter
prise, Gays the New York Commercial
Advertiser. These have certainly taken
hold Of English business with surpris-
ingly good results. The London under
ground railway -the tubes and the |
English trolley system bear evidence of |
this, and now the invaders are taking
charge Of the Thames itself, which has
hitherto been the very haunt and fast
ness Of precedent and ancient custom.
Here red tape and British conservatism
have fourished to the detriment Of the
port.
Take the simple instance Of the rights
Of the watermen. They transport
freight up ana down the forty miles Of
river between Grayesend and London.
Legions Of their barges, steered By one
oar, float up and down with the tides.
They move slowly, they obstruct navi-
CATION, yet no one dares suggest that
the barges be towed to hasten matters.
The waterman's rights date back into
the misty age Of fable and are upheld
by royal grants innumerable. There
fore wherever Thames water flows the
watermans boat may 60 without price
The sight Of an enormous modern dock
being opened to receive a one cared ca
nal boat free Of charge while modern
liners pay handsomely for the same
/ privilege is a daily scene which Illus
trates one Of their preseIiptiVe rights.
/ No cargo may be moved from dock to
wharf or from point 10 point along The
river without calling in a waterman
and paying him we'll He has other
curious medieval privileges which are
4 innumerable. Yet you cannot abolish
the waterman or make him tow his
barge
Then there is the Thames conservan-
cy, which has charge Of all matters
pertaining to the river. The conserya-
tism Of this conservancy Is another
remarkable thing. All matters under
1 their charge must remain as they have
been for the last thousand years.
There is a bar-they call 1t the Leigh
Ariddle-at the mouth Of the river. This
obstructs the liners at low tide. It is
Just a common mud bank that would
be ripped out Of an American port in
two weeks, but the Thames conseryan-
az win not dredge this bar. 1t has al
ways been there, they say, and 1t would
cost money. Why trouble them with
such mattersa The only way to gel
at the conservative conservancy would
be By act Of parliament, and it would
be as hard to abolish them as it would
! waterman.
Then over all this are the Eldei
I Brethren Of Trinity House. This in
! stitution dates back TO the reign q
King. Alfred, and some Of the member
20 back nearly as far. Most Of then
are over seventy, and some are In tn
nineties. These take charge Of every
body and everything voluntarily and
{ with that conservatism which is th'
! mark Of advanced age, veto all innova
lions. Trinity House." says the Lon
don Mail, lis an indefensible anomaly
crusted instance Of voluntary man
agemenf that no other maritime natio
e would tolerate"
n Into this middle Of mud and preet
d dent then, has come the American il
e yasion. The American shipping con
e bine, representing seven lines, seye
S score great liners and an enormous ton
e mage. is now doing business in Il
American way in London, and the e
feet is marked Under the spur
their enterprise the whole system {
management Of docks and waterway
is under serious discussion and for i
first time in centuries IS about to U
dergo definite revision.
There are plans for the making
the river below London bridge, for
miles Of It, into q series Of locks,
which the greatest ships could float
r all times. The various authorities
the port are to he combined into one,
! that the management Of the port al
be in the hands Of the shipping mt
chants who are directly interested. y
dock companies are to be ''exproprl'
y ed" and combined, the wharf and llgl
e er interests to be included, and Q
q board will manage the whole and t
y river as we'll
ii If carried out this will make lond
d shipping port such as the world b
I. / not yet seen, and, as the London Tin
4 puts 1t in pithy comment they "
pay the piper will be able to call
tuDea A bill to this effect has actua
q been introduced into parliament
81 Gerald Balfour Whether it g
through Of not is d question, but
fact that so much has been done is e
dence that the American invasion
the Thames is stirring up the pla
waters of precedent, and the res
IL cannot fail to be good. With the d.
~ companies allied instead Of jealou