We are much surprised that no sort of answer has
been given to a letter by Mr. Arnold-Forster, published in the Times of Friday, August 10th. In that letter he told the story of an offer made by "a powerful and responsible syndi- cate" to supply the dock accommodation so urgently needed to make Gibraltar anything but a source of danger. At present nothing but the most trifling repairs can be executed at Gibraltar, and a ship injured in or near the Straits (and the fight for the command of the Mediterranean is almost certain to be fought in the Straits) would have either to wait• at the Rock till the war was over, or steam in a disabled state, one thousand mires, to Plymouth or Malta.. The syndicate offered to make :—(1), An additional mole and so provide sixty- eight acres of anchorage with a depth of five fathoms; (2), two graving-docks, each 600 ft. long ; (3), four floating docks capable of docking ships of 7,500 tons ; (4), a coaling-store capable of storing coal for the whole Mediterranean Fleet. In exchange the syndicate ask for a piece of water space inside the new mole on which they will place the coal-store, graving. docks, &c. They will give the Admiralty a priority of free use in regard to the new accommodation, and also a right of purchase at an agreed or arbitration price. The syndicate will, in fact, spend a million in exchange for the right to sell coal and to dock ships.
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