in accommodation, strengtli and draft of water, is to-day 

 inadequate. As far as this country is concerned, even at 

 the leading ports of eacli State, a considerable portion of 

 the wharfage which a few years ago was ample for the 

 trade is now becoming obsolete, and though every effort is 

 being made to keep pace with shipping requirements, the 

 difficulties that inevitably arise and delays that cannot be 

 obviated, make progress appear slow. 



What the present local wharfage requirements are, and 

 are likely to become in the future, can best be gauged by a 

 comparison between the ships of to-day and those of forty 

 years ago, to accommodate which most of our harbours 

 were designed. In the seventies the over-sea Australian 

 trade was carried almost entirely in sailing ships of 800 to 

 1,500 tons. These ranged in lengths from 180 to 270 feet, 

 the draft of water being from 20 to 24 feet. Even so late 

 as the eighties very few in any part of the world foresaw 

 the enormous and rapid increase that was destined to take 

 place in size and draft. Vessels now trading to Australian 

 ports very nearly touch the 14,000 ton mark. Many 

 are upwards of 500 feet in length and require in some 

 ; 32 feet of water to berth. 



Judging by the past there can be but little doubt that 

 vessels will at no distant period reach a length of 1,000 

 feet and a draft of from 35 to 38 feet, and harbour engineers 

 must be prepared to provide adequate accommodation for 

 them. At the present time a vessel of 38 feet draft could 

 be accommodated in only a comparatively few harbours 

 in the world. From available returns I find that there 

 are only sixteen ports that can boast of approach channels 

 of 35 feet and upwards, at the present time, but in many 

 cases the work of providing deeper water is in progress. 

 For this purpose the use of sand pump dredges is being 

 largely availed of; dredges of this class are being built of 



