CO129-477 - Public Offices - 1922 — Page 100

82.

TO SAY

99

increased depth of water, widening throughout the whole

length of the Canal, and an improvement in curves. This

work will be carried out gradually but it is expected that

in about 10 years' tims, ships drawing 38 feet of water

will be able to use the Canal.

17.

It is impossible at the present time to obtain

any definite pronouncement free shipowers as regards the

size of the largest ships which may be in use on the

Eastern routes during the next ten years. It is easy to

understand the difficulty in making such pronouncement.

A similar difficulty, except that it is more accentuated,

existe në regards the ships trading noross the Pacific te

Canada mad the United States.

18.

The deepening of the Suez Canal in the near

future so as to allow the transit of ships of 35 feet

draught must, however, be taken as a sertainty, and as far

as va dan sisertain there is no necessity to satisipate

ships from Canada and the United States being of a greater

draught than those ships which may arrive at Hong Kong via

the Bues Canal.

19.

We do net emsider that ships which may draw 38

feet of water when in the Suez Canal will be of that

draught when at Hong Kong, as in the ease of ships fro

Surape to the Sast considerable cargo will be discharged

before reaching Hong Kong, and in the ease of ships from

the last to šurope sargo will be shipped at perts between

Hong Kong and Sues. As will be seen later on in this

report, we propose that there should be 57 feet of water

alongside the wharves at ordinary low water, which will

give about 36 feet of water at extreme low water. This

would give 3 feet of water below the bottom of a ship

drawing 35 feet.