By 1934 economies in something other than water were exercising the Commissioners minds. In order to reduce the cost of quay staff some wage reductions were agreed. Charles Kehoe, night watchman had his pay reduced from £2-10-0 to £2-5-0. Ironically James Wadding, carter, had his salary increased from £2
to £2-10-0 and he was to employ James Lane as scavenger in place of James Walsh who had retired due to old age. The pilot staff also suffered reduced wages, as was that of the Harbour Master, and signalman.
Meanwhile, the dockers were urging the railway company to have their local coal requirements shipped through Wexford. The Harbour Commissioners urged the Wexford traders to make a similar plea. In reply the railway company said it would not be economic for them to accede to this request.
Despite the trade increase earlier in the decade, the rot had set in at Wexford Port. Only one ship left Wexford in the first week of May 1934, and that was 'Elsie Annie', sailing light to Rosslare to pick up livestock for Liverpool. The only arrival due was a coal shipment for the Gas Company at the end of the month.
The final scheme for the improvement of Wexford Harbour was put forward in 1934. Called the Albetham Scheme, it proposed the building of two walls eastwards from the quays, through Rosslare Spit and terminating a few miles south of Rosslare Point. The Harbour Commissioners adopted the scheme with certain modifications, mainly cost saving. The estimated cost was to be £170,000 and the plans were sent to the Board of Works for examination and if approved, for a grant. At the same time as Bill was proposed to raise the finances necessary for completion of the job. The plan was shelved when the Board of Works rejected it because it felt that large sums of money would still have to be spent annually on dredging.
In February 1936, the Harbour Commissioners received a letter from Captain Thomas Morris, pilot master and Patrick Cogley, P. Marlow and J. Harpur pilot staff. In it they applied for a wage increase citing the fact that the earlier reduction was to have been only a temporary measure until trade increased.
They pointed out that the cost of living had increased greatly and that the port trade had been good for the past 9 months, therefore they requested a 10/- per week raise. The Board granted this. These men were still 10/- per week worse off that they had been two years before.
Later the same year the Harbour Commissioners set in motion a plan to purchase F.J. Walsh’s interest in the Chamber of Commerce Building where they were based for the sum of £194.
The financial report for the year ending March 31st, 1937 showed trade on the increase.
Tonnage increased by 1,731 tons giving £76-2-6 more revenue.
Cargo rates increased by £211-9-11.
Sundry earnings were up by £15-0-8.
Pilots earning increased by £55-0-2.
Harbour Police cost only £36 as their numbers had decreased.
The amount due to the bank, however, remained the same as no payments had been made off of it since 1933.
In the Doldrums - The Decline
In the same month, due to the Economic War with Britain, trade was once again gravely reduced and reductions were made in employee’s salaries.
Pilot Master Morris reduced by 10/- weekly.
Harbour Master Wickham reduced by 5/- weekly
Pilot Driver Cogley reduced by 5/- weekly.
Night Watchman Kehoe reduced by 5/- weekly.
Signalman Furlong reduced by 5/- weekly.
Auditor J.C. Loughridge reduced by 5 guineas per year.
The state of the harbour was also causing concern and the dockers requested all candidates in a forthcoming election to a meeting in the Town Hall. They reminded candidates;
"As you are well aware, the Harbour Commissioners went to the expense of having a scheme made out for Harbour Improvement, but it was turned down by the Government, although we were told in election speeches in the Bull Ring two or three years ago the money was there for that purpose. The small amount of dredging which the Commissioners can afford to do out of their own funds each year is useless, and unless a suitable dredger can be obtained to work all the year round, the harbour will shortly close up. "
All of course, promised to do all they could to help if elected.
In 1939, the Commissioners embarked on a plan to purchase a dredger.
Three attempts to negotiate a loan of £3,000 from the Department of Industry and Commerce was unsuccessful.
Later that year, Wexford Steamship Company brought its latest ship to Wexford. 'The Menapia' was decorated with bunting and under the command of Peter McGrath had accommodation for 500 cattle and 500 sheep plus 1,000 tons of cargo. On her first voyage she carried a small dredger for the Wexford Harbour Commissioners. Things appeared to be 'looking up' for Wexford, but the world had other ideas.
Although Ireland was a neutral country, during the Second World War and we called the global conflict
'The Emergency', Wexford ships and sailors often found themselves in the 'thick of the fighting.'
On August 18th, 1940, three German planes attacked the mail boat, St. Patrick, sailing from Rosslare to Fishguard. A bomb narrowly missed the ship and strafing machine gun fire fatally wounded Moses Brennan from Ram Street in Wexford. Within a year, the St. Patrick was again under attack. On Friday, June 13th, 1941, she was on a night sailing from Rosslare when German aircraft attacked from a quiet sky. On that occasion the ship was sunk by the bomb and machine gun
