SOME TYPICAL PORTS ZI5
manufacturers of the district was held in Manchester to
discuss the project of a canal to connect the city with the
sea, the outcome of which was the formation of the
Manchester Ship Canal Company. The canal took seven
years to construct and it was opened in 1894. It is
36 miles long and enters the river Mersey at Eastham,
where the entrance locks are located. There are four
other sets of locks in the course of the canal. The depth
is 28 ft. throughout (in course of being increased to 30 ft.)
and there is a bottom width of 120 ft. The docks (or
basins) at Manchester and Salford, with adjacent wharfage,
have an aggregate frontage of nearly 6 miles. The total
cost, including land purchase and Parliamentary expenses,
has been 17 millions. It is only within the last year or two
that the undertaking has commenced to pay a dividend,
but the traffic has grown steadily up to 54 million tons
of goods, and there is every prospect of a favourable
future.
The predominant commercial interest in Manchester is,
of course, cotton. Approximately 40 per cent of the
world’s spindles are in Lancashire, and go per cent of these
are within 12 miles of Manchester. This great hinterland
of the port, however, is shared by Liverpool, which
continues to hold the premier position in regard to the
importation of bales of raw cotton. But Manchester
has the advantage of being nearer to the point of ultimate
use for the goods, and this is a factor which may tell in the
long run. During 1924, the port received over 50 per cent
(231,225 bales) of the total imports of Egyptian cotton
into the United Kingdom. Apart from cotton, there is an
important trade in general goods, provisions, etc.
The docks at Manchester and Salford are administered
by the Ship Canal Company, which is constituted by
statute the port authority. The port is admirably
served by rail to all parts of the country, in addition to
which there are important canal connections. In close
proximity to the docks is Trafford Park, where, under an