reform. The report, issued in 1902, showed apprehension to be
well founded. The river, it was ascertained, was not kept
sufficiently dredged; the re-export trade was noted as showing
an especially serious decline, and the administration was found
to suffer from decentralization. The recommendations of the
Commission included the creation of a single controlling authority
to take over the powers of the Thames Conservancy Watermen’s
Company, and Trinity House and the docks of the companies
already detailed. This authority, it was advised, should consist
of 40 members, of whom 11 should be nominated by the London
County Council and 3 by the Corporation of the City (supposing
these bodies to accept certain financial responsibilities proposed
in the direction of river improvements), 5 by the governors
of the Bank of England from the mercantile community, 2 by
the London Chamber of Commerce, and 1 each by the Admiralty,
Board of Trade and Trinity House. The remaining members
should be elected by various groups, e.g. shipowners, barge
owners, the railway companies interested, &c. Rival schemes,
however, were proposed by the London County Council, which
proposed to take over the entire control through a committee,
by the City Corporation, which suggested that it should appoint
10 instead of 3 members to the new board; and by the London
Chamber of Commerce, which proposed a Harbour Trust of
ex-officio and elected members. The Thames Conservancy also
offered itself as the public authority. In 1902 a Mansion House
Conference was convened by the lord mayor and a deputation
was appointed which in 1903 pressed the solution of the matter
upon the government.
A noteworthy scheme to improve the condition of the Thames, first put forward in 1902–1903, was that of constructing a dam with four locks across the river between Gravesend and Tilbury. The estimated cost was between three Thames barrage scheme. and four millions sterling, to be met by a toll, and it was urged that a uniform depth, independent of tides, would be ensured above the dam, that delay of large vessels wishing to proceed up river would thus be obviated, that the river would be relieved of pollution by the tides, and the necessity for constant dredging would be abolished. This “barrage scheme” was discussed at considerable length, and its theoretical advantages were not universally admitted. The scheme included a railway tunnel beneath the dam, for which, incidentally, a high military importance was claimed.
In 1904 the Port of London Bill, embodying the recommendations of the Royal Commission with certain exceptions, was brought forward, but it was found impossible to carry Port authorities before 1909. it through. In 1908, however, the Port of London Act was passed, and came into force in 1909. This act provided for the establishment of a Port Authority, the constitution of which is detailed below, which took over the entire control of the port, together with the docks and other property of the several existing companies.
The principal dock companies, with the docks owned by them, were as follows:—
1. London and India Company.—This company had amalgamated all the docks on the north side of the river except the Millwall Docks. Following the river down from the Tower these docks, with dates of original opening and existing extent, are—St Katherine’s (1828; 1012 acres), London (1805; 5712 acres), West India, covering the northern part of the peninsula called the Isle of Dogs (1802; 12112 acres), East India, Blackwall (1806; 38 acres), Royal Victoria and Albert Docks (1876 and 1880 respectively), parallel with the river along Bugsby’s and Woolwich Reaches, nearly 3 m. in distance (181 acres) and Tilbury Docks, 25 m. below London Bridge, constructed in 1886 by the East and West India Docks Company (65 acres). Tilbury Docks are used by the largest steamers trading with the port.
2. Millwall Docks (1868), in the south part of the Isle of Dogs, are 36 acres in extent.
3. Surrey Commercial Docks, Rotherhithe (Bermondsey), occupy a peninsula between the Lower Pool and Limehouse Reach. There have been docks at Rotherhithe since the middle of the 17th century. The total area is 176 acres, a large new dock, the Greenland, being opened in 1904.
The principal railways have wharves and through connexions for goods traffic, and huge warehouses are attached to the docks. The custom house stands on the north bank, a short distance from London Bridge, in Lower Thames Street. It dates from 1817, the body of the building being by Laing, but the Corinthian façade was added by Smirke. It includes a museum containing ancient documents and specimens of articles seized by the customs authorities.
The chief authorities concerned in the government of the Port of London till 1909 were:—
1. Thames Conservancy.—For conservancy purposes, regulation of navigation, removal of obstruction, dredging, &c.
2. City Corporation.—Port sanitary purposes from Teddington Lock seawards.
3. Trinity House.—Pilotage, lighting and buoying from London Bridge seawards.
4. The Watermen’s and Lightermen’s Company.—The licensing authority for watermen and lightermen.
Besides these authorities, the London County Council, the Board of Trade, the Admiralty, the Metropolitan and City Police, police of riparian boroughs, Kent and Essex Fisheries Commissioners, all the dock companies and others played some part in the government and public services of the port.
Port Authority.—The Port of London Authority, as constituted by the act of 1908, is a body corporate consisting of a chairman, vice-chairman, 17 members elected by payers of dues, wharfingers and owners of river craft, 1 member elected by wharfingers exclusively, and 10 members appointed by the following existing bodies—Admiralty (one); Board of Trade (two); London County Council (two from among its own members and two others); City Corporation (one from among its own members and one other); Trinity House (one). The Board of Trade and the County Council must each, under the act, consult with representatives of labour as to the appointment of one of the members, in order that labour may be represented on the Port Authority. The first “elected” members were actually, under the act, appointed by the Board of Trade. The undertakings of the three dock companies mentioned above were transferred to and vested in the Port Authority, an equivalent amount of port stock created under the act being issued to each. The Port Authority has full powers to authorize construction works. All the rights, powers and duties of the Thames Conservancy, so far as concerns the Thames below Teddington Lock, were transferred to the Port Authority under the act, as also were the powers of the Watermen’s Company in respect of the registration and licensing of vessels, and the regulation of lightermen and watermen. The Port Authority fixes the port rates, which, however, must not in any two consecutive years exceed one-thousandth part of the value of all imports and exports, or a three-thousandth of the value of goods discharged from or taken on board vessels not within the premises of a dock. Preferential dock charges are prohibited and a port fund established under the act. The authority has powers to borrow money, but for certain purposes in this connexion, as in other matters, it can only act subject to the approval of the Board of Trade.
Commerce.—The following figures may be quoted for purposes of comparison at different periods:—
Value of Exports of Home Produce (1840), £11,586,037; (1874), £60,232,118; (1880), £52,600,929; (1902–1905 average), £60,095,294. Imports (1880), £141,442,907; (1902–1905), £174,059,316. These figures point to the fact that London is essentially a mart, and neither is itself, nor is the especial outlet for, a large manufacturing centre; hence imports greatly exceed exports.
Vessels entered and cleared (foreign and colonial trade):—
| Year. | Entered. | Cleared. |
| Tonnage. | Tonnage. | |
| 1694 | 135,972 | 81,148 |
| 1750 | 511,680 | 179,860 |
| 1800 | 796,632 | 729,554 |
| 1841–1850 (average) | 1,596,453 | 1,124,793 |
| 1881 | 5,810,043 | 4,478,960 |
| 1895 | 8,435,676 | 6,110,325 |
| 1905 | 10,814,115 | 7,913,115 |
In the coastwise trade, in 1881, 38,953 vessels of 4,545,904 tons entered; in 1895, 43,704 vessels of 6,555,618 tons; but these figures include vessels trading within the Thames estuary (ports of London, Rochester, Colchester and Faversham), which later returns do not. Omitting such vessels, therefore, the number which entered in the coastwise trade in 1905 was 16,358 of 6,374,832 tons.
Business.—The City has been indicated as the business centre of the metropolis. Besides the Royal Exchange, in the building
