THE ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE TRENT 101 



with weirs it was possible to reduce the gradient on each of the short 

 sections thus formed. Each weir of course was accompanied by a lock 

 and existing locks too had to be enlarged or rebuilt in order to accommo- 

 date modern barges. By 1929 the new channel was completed and the 

 stream thus made navigable at all times of the year from Nottingham 

 to the sea. The ' port ' at Nottingham, where corresponding improve- 

 ments have been made, consists of two separate terminals each equipped 

 with modern warehouses and having railway-sidings at hand. One is 

 owned by the City Corporation and the other by the Trent Navigation 

 Company, whose capacious up-to-date warehouse and depot was built in 

 1915 in anticipation of the new waterway project. In the case of the 

 former, wharfage has been considerably extended and in 1932 a new 

 basin and transit sheds were constructed. 



The increase of traffic resulting from the modernisation of the water- 

 way is mainly in the upstream direction and originates chiefly at Hull 

 where the barges and river craft have direct access to ocean-going ships. 

 The conveyance of great quantities of petroleum in special tank-barges 

 is the outstanding feature of this trade and upon the Newark — Notting- 

 ham section this now accounts for more than 50 per cent of the total 

 tonnage. Nottingham has in consequence become the chief distributing 

 centre for oil in the Midlands. The expansion in river-borne trade in 

 recent years on the Nottingham — Newark section is shown by the follow- 

 ing figures: — 



Total Tonnage Petrol Tonnage 



1928 66,960 4,920 



1930 105,337 37,377 



1932 284.666 59.206 



1934 242,853 95,123 



1936 230,514 117,449 



Other bulky non-perishable commodities are timber, strawboards. cement, 

 grain, cattle-cake and tinned foodstufl's. Downstream traffic is slight and 

 much less regular and consists mostly of manufactured goods, e.g. hard- 

 ware and machinery and occasional loads of iron pipes. Coal finds no 

 place in the river trade for its shipment has long been in the unchallenged 

 hands of the railways. On the other hand, the importance of the Trent 

 is now exerting some influence at least upon the trend of commercial 

 development not only in Nottingham but at the smaller towns of Newark 

 and Gainsborough and at newer centres such as Keadby. 



