reduce truck traffic and improve labour productivity, the authors of a dock inquiry said yesterday.

But unless changes are made, the consultants warned, the docks which handle almost everything brought into the Island will gradually become clogged and inefficient.

The report's recommendations included closing No. 7 gate opposite the Supermart and relocating a dock warehouse to another part of the city.

It also suggested the Corporation of Hamilton buy its own dock equipment. That would make it easier for another company to bid for the contract to operate the Hamilton docks now held by Stevedoring Services, the only local company that owns the necessary equipment.

Alderman Mr. William Frith, chairman of the Corporation of Hamilton's Wharves Committee, said the Corporation supported all the recommendations except one: A suggestion to use the lower level of No. 7 for parking. The Corporation has other plans for the building.

But he said the Corporation wanted to ensure it had the support of the majority of dock users before moving forward.

"We know that the docks do need some attention,'' Mr. Frith said. "This is the first step of our efforts to reorganise the docks. It's important for the well-being not only of the city and the merchants, but for the country as a whole.'' The consultants, hired by the Corporation to investigate problems on the docks, said the docks are already operating at capacity as they are now organised.

But the changes could expand the capacity enough for the next 10 to 15 years -- and avoid the $60 million to $80 million cost of a complete replacement of the port. The changes recommended would cost about $6 million.

The report, by Joseph N. Barbera Associates of New Jersey, recommended that No. 7 gate only be used for special cargo like automobiles.

All containers could be moved through No. 8 dock at the east end of the city by the Department of Marine and Ports. If the ramp down to the dock was strengthened, container trucks could wait on the ramp and the dock itself, rather than line up along Front Street.

The warehouse facility at No. 8 dock could be moved away from the docks altogether, the report said.

The warehouse is used for relatively small portion of containers carrying consolidated cargo destined for different businesses; the containers are opened on the docks and the cargo is collected by trucks.

This could free up enough space to increase the dock's capacity by 35 to 40 percent, the report said.

More efficient stacking and retrieval of containers could also make the port operate more efficiently. The "top loaders'' now used can only pick up containers at the edge of a stack. The report suggested buying "transtainers'' as well, which pick containers from the middle of stacks.

The report suggested the tariff system could be adjusted to create incentives for spreading container traffic throughout the week -- reducing congestion at peak periods.

And it suggested a number of measures to improve the appearance of the docks and reduce noise.

The report said the creation of an advisory committee to improve communications among dock users and operators was "essential''.