Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-21
Great Saving in Freight Rates.

Great Saving in Freight Rates.
Now the cotton is taken direct to Man
chester by steamer without extra fire ght.
and can be delivered at the factories for
an average Of shillings or 81 a ton,
making a saving of $1.66 a ton, which. in
handling two or three million bales of cot
ton, Is an enormous saving and pays the
interest upon the cost of the canal. One
firm in Manchester handles at least $4,000
bales of cotton year and many firms
handle 10000
AS an illustration. when the steamer
Planet Mars brought 1882 bales of cot
ton weighing $3.50 tons, the saving in the
cost OF handling that cargo was ST.. 345.
besides the advantage of handling it only
once. The saving on a miscellaneous
cargo. weighing 5.s77 tons. which arrived
In Manchester from New York the other
day. as compared with the cost of deliv-
ering It at Liverpool. was S6, 769 or about
$685. S45.
4 comparison of the rates shows that
the reduction in the expense Of handling
raw cotton there has been from 9s to Is
Cd: on waste and rags, from SIS 4d to IS
l0d: for copper. from los to IS 4d: for
grain and flour, from Is Sd to IS lid; on
iron and steel. from IS Sd to IS 100: SUI
gar, from IS i'd to IS Sd, and other arti-
age saving Of Is Sd per ton upon some
4O0O. 600 tons of traffic that passes annu-
ally between Manchester and tidewater.
or total saving of 81. 100000 in freight,
without considering the important ques-
ton of convenience
Manchester Is the distributing center for
the most densely populated area in the
United Kingdom. including 1T towns and
nearly 10000 600 people, who are engaged
in manufacturing enterprises and require
vast quantities Of raw material which they
convert into manufactured merchandise
and ship to all parts of the world. This
enormous population demands foodstuffs
and other necessar!es and luxuries of life,
a large portion of which must be import
ed. Therefore 1t Is not Manchester alone.
but all the Lancashire district which is
interested in a reduction of freight rates.
The largest single article OF freight pass
three-fourth of which comes from the
United States. The second is grain. the
third lumber. the fourth oil and the fifth
provisions. The United States is the best
customer. and furnishes at least 20 per
cent of the traffic; Canada is second and
Australia and New Zealand third.
Cost Near 800, 100000.
The canal was begun November. 1887:
opened for traffic January l, 1894. and
formally inaugurated by Queen Victoria in
the May following. The work Of construc-
ton and the equipment cost f10.S63, S9S.
or about $55.OOO.OOO; about $4,000, 600 was
paid for auxiliary canals: about $1,000, OOO
for land; about 100000 for interest
upon money borrowed before the earnings
began. The total expenditures up to De-
cember 81. 1907, have been E1S534, 2S1. or
about 500 600, COO which included the docks
and warehouses. $500 acres Of land. con-
tributing railways and other parts of the
system. The city Of Manchester con-
tributed $25 100000 and several neighbor-
ing cities also took large blocks of stock
and bonds. The remainder Of the stock,
which amounts to $5O,OOO,G0O. Is held by
about 200 individual shareholders. most
Of them living in Manchester and the
neigh borhood.
There are twenty directors. eleven OF
whom are appointed by the city Of Man
chester: the remainder and the chairman.
who is at present Mr.. John X. Bythell of
Manchester, are elected by the sharehold-
ers.
The canal is entered from the River
Mersey. below the city of Liverpool at
the village of Eastman. 1t Is thirty-five
and a half miles In length. twenty eight
feet deep and 125 feet wide at the bot
| tom. There are five sets of locks to
overcome the ffty-eight feet difference OF
altitude between Manchester and the sea
List and Cost Of Great Canals.
The Manchester canal is second In cost
of the great ship canals of tho world. the
fourth in length and third in depth and
width. The following is a list Of the great
canals of the world and their cost:
Length Depth Width,