Evening journal., 1917-05-12

Liverpool. Manchester, almost in the
very shadow Of Liverpool, the second
port Of England and the third OF the
world. located not on a navigable
stream, or even one susceptible OF
being made navigable, determined.
nevertheless, to become a seaport.
Wearied Of being a mere satellite OF
Liverpool. it decided to become a little
commercial solar system by itself,
and cease the paying Of tribute money
to Liverpool for handling imported
raw materials to and finished manu-
featured products from Manchester's
workshops.
Manchester is slightly more than
thirty miles distant from liverpool
about the same relative position that
Wilmington bears to Philadelphia
except that instead OF being located
downstream and that much nearer
the sea. IL is upstream and that
much further from It. The Mersey
river, on which both cities are To-
Gated, is tidal estuary at Liverpool.
but q short distance above the city
Il becomes a rural hillside creek, of
alternate pools and rapids. and be-
tween tidewater and Manchester has
surface fall Of nearly one hundred
feet.
"A more unpromising condition
never confronted an aspiring COM
munity desiring to enter upon a ship
ping career. The merchants and
manufacturers of Manchester were
not made Of the stuff to be deferred by
small obstacles like these. however,
and financial program was adopted,
engineering plans prepared and work
started. The river being subject to the
usual Vicissitudes of non-tidal
streams, which are but natural drain
age bitches to carry off surface water
from rains and snows-and therefore
are not free from troublesome floods
was. after some consideration by
the engineers, totally abandoned as
commerce carrying possibility and an
entirely Independent canal was exca-
waited between the head of tidal navi-
/ cation a short distance above Liver
pool, and more than thirty miles or
canal cut was made 10 Manchester.
"The cost Of this project-which en-
abled them TO bring full sized ocean
carriers to the very doors Of their
factories-was upwards OF SlO0Ou0,-
600, and il has transformed Manches-
ter from an inland city paying tribute
TO LIVERPOOL and to the railroad COM
panies on every ton Of ocean freight
used within its boundaries 70 an in
dependent position as the fourth rank
ing mort in Great Britain and the thir-
teenth in the list of the great shipping
centers Of the world, and from a popu-
latlon Of less than 350000 to one of
$50 000 II required quarter of a
century to place the investment on a
paying basis. so far as actual interest
on the construction cost was concern
ed. but the vast benefit felt by the
community in the SAVING of freight
tariffs, the expedition OF shipments.
the enhancement OF property values,
and the general up-building effect OF
the port activities were such as to
justify the expenditure twice over.
The case of Manche ter is in a
general way. similar TO that Of VIII
mingtOn. except that. on the one hand,
her population and financial resources
were somewhat greater. but. on the
other. the difficulties which she had
to overcome we're MANIFOLD more
serious II Wilmington is dominated
By the same spirit that Manchester
was twenty-five years ago. Il may %
confidently predicted that similar
beneficial results on a prcrcss.sn7te
scale will be attained