508 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION @G. 
of the proposed underground railways, location of stations, junctions, schedules, 
fares, &c. It is proposed to employ continuous current at 1,500 volts, supplied 
from overhead conductors. 
A short description was given of the power station already in course of 
construction at White Bay, Balmain, for the tramways, which, like the rail- 
ways, belong to the Government. The station will be capable of developing 
100,000 h.p., and will supply the power required for the proposed railway 
system. 
The total cost of the whole scheme is estimated at 17,000,000. 
2. Australian Ports in relation to Modern Ships and Shipping. 
By W. E. Avams, A.M.Inst.C.E. 
The enormous increase in the size of ships trading to Australia during the 
last fifteen years has set a problem to the Port Authorities of Australia that 
calls for careful consideratiou. It has become very desirable to review the 
position not only from the standpoint of the Harbour Authorities, but also from 
that of the local commercial interests involved. That the civil engineer can 
always rise to the occasion and provide for anything the shipbuilder can pro- 
duce is evidenced by such works as the Suez and Panama Canals. But, as 
engineering practically conceived cannot be divorced from economics, especially 
in a young and growing country like Australia, where much money is required 
for numerous lines of development, the engineer must be a rigid economist. On 
this account, it is advisable carefully to examine the situation that is arising 
in its most general aspect. 
Privately-owned wharfage in the chief commercial sea-ports of Australia 
has almost disappeared. Public ownership of the foreshores has been rendered 
necessary in order that wharfage may be planned in conjunction with other great 
public utilities, such as railways, tramways, roads of access, and to admit of 
the segregation of berthage into mail and passenger, general cargo, frozen meat, 
grain, coal, and other specialities. 
Clearly it is necessary to separate the shipment of frozen meat and grain 
from coal and other dirty or noxious cargoes, while passenger and mail services 
should berth as close to the heart of the city as possible. Where these essentials 
are laid out in advance contingent municipalities are enabled to co-operate to 
advantage, and private industries immediately connected with shipping can 
be established in the most suitable positions. 
Thus it has come about that all the Australian capital sea-ports except 
Brisbane have been placed under public trusts, of various constitutions, but 
all aiming at the one object, namely, to provide for the shipping on a compre- 
hensive scale, and on a self-supporting basis. In the endeavour to keep pace 
with shipping developments the cost of the modern sea-port has become, and 
promises to become in the future, a still more important commercial factor. 
Port-dues already amount in many cases to 10 per cent. of the freight charges. 
In ocean transport three separate interests are involved. Firstly, there is 
the private shipowner, who invests for personal profit; secondly, the Port 
Authorities, who build usually to meet expenses of maintenance, interest, and 
sinking fund (though sometimes more is required); and thirdly, the merchant 
or shipper, who ships goods. 
To Australia, which is a large exporter and importer, and, moreover, a 
country greatly in need of population, it is obviously important that oversea 
freights, fares, and other charges should be as low as possible, on account of 
the immense distance from the centre of civilisation. The point of supreme 
interest to Australia in this connection lies in the question as to whether 
modern shipping developments tend to increase or to decrease the total cost 
of ocean transport. 
It is unquestionable that cargo and passengers can be carried more cheaply 
in large than in small steamers. That is, the cost per ton-mile, reckoning 
working expenses, including coal, wages, and upkeep, are less per ton carried 
in large than in small steamers. By way of illustration, Sir W. White in 
1903 quoted the case of the P. and O. Company’s Moldavia, 10,000 tons, stating 
that an increase in draft of three feet would increase her freight-earning 
