Port of Manchester

.Harvnb|M'Farlane|1908|p=500.]

History

Initially, the port struggled to compete with the more established ports. In 1908, although Manchester had about 75% of the mule spindles in the UK, only 14% of the raw material used in cotton spinning passed through the Port of Manchester. [Harvnb|M'Farlane|1908|p=497.] Despite the competition, trade grew steadily. Between 1895 and 1896, 121,336 bales of cotton were imported from America, the main source of cotton; this increased to 377,264 bales in 1907–1908. [Harvnb|M'Farlane|1908|pp=497–498.] The Port of Manchester was not the major destination for American cotton in the early-20th century, but it was for Egyptian cotton. In 1907–1908 about half of the cotton used in Lancashire cotton mills passed through the port, about 216,570 bales.Harvnb|M'Farlane|1908|p=498.] In the early-20th century, the main produce travelling through the port was timber, grain, and cotton. The grain trade expanded more than tenfold, increasing from convert|35000|LT|0|lk=on in 1895 to convert|406000|LT|0 in 1907. Based on value of import and export trade, between 1904 and 1964 the Port of Manchester was in the top five most important custom ports in the UK for 39 out of the 55 years for which figures exist. [Harvnb|Kidd|1996|p=185.] The port declined in the 1960s due to the increasing size of ocean going vessels, most of which could not enter the canal. [cite web|title=Firm sends cargo by canal|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2722429.stm |date=4 February 2003 |publisher=BBC Online Retrieved on 21 August 2008.]

Manchester Liners

Manchester Liners was established on 3 May 1898, to provide a fortnightly transatlantic service between the Port of Manchester and North America, via the Manchester Ship Canal. Its first ship, "Manchester City", launched on 27 October 1898, was designed to suit the dimensions of the canal, and was fitted with telescopic masts. The success of its inaugural trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, encouraged Manchester Liners to order seven more ships to the same design. [Harvnb|Farnie|1980|pp=35–37.]

References

Notes

Bibliography

*citation |last=Farnie |first=D. A. |title=The Manchester Ship Canal and the rise of the Port of Manchester, 1894–1975 |year=1980 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=071900795X
*citation |last=Kidd |first=Alan |date=1996 |title=Manchester |publisher=Keele University Press |location=Keele |isbn=1-85331-028-X
*citation |last=M'Farlane |first=John |date=November 1908 |title=The Port of Manchester: The Influence of a Great Canal |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |journal=The Geographical Journal volume=32 |issue=5 |pages=496–503