Krüger, on the other. It stated that Hamburg is ready to join the Customs Union with all its territory, but excluding a permanent free port district which it specified. For this district, Article 34 would still apply, thus the freedoms of that district could not be abolished or restricted without Hamburg's approval. On 3 June 1881 the Senate voted in favour, despite the opposition of Kirchenpauer. On 15 June 1881, the resolution of the Senate was discussed in the Burgerschaft. There was a seven-hour session (7 pm - 2 am). Carl Petersen, the Commissioner for the Senate, said Hamburg would “still remain the emporium for the wide world of the German Fatherland”, to which she would be more closely united than ever. The proposal of the Senate was agreed to by 106 votes against 46. It was decided it should take effect in October 1888. The Federal Council approved the agreement on 25 June 1881. Preparations for accession 1881-88 In March 1882 the Senate formed a seven-member commission, including Versmann, for the preparation of the accession to the Customs Union including the construction of the free port. On 21 February 1883 the Burgerschaft approved the plans, which included a canal to allow local navigation on the Elbe without passing through the remaining free trade zone. In order to implement the project, some 24,000 inhabitants of the affected districts had to be relocated and land worth 54.5 million marks had to be acquired. Later, when the free port was enlarged, another 25,000 inhabitants had to be resettled. With the free port, as an emporium and for transit purposes, Hamburg would provide the same facilities as before, while merchandise intended for the interior would pay duty at the port itself, instead of at the boundaries of the city. In 1885 the HFLG (Hamburger Freihafen-Lagerhaus Gesellschaft) was founded for the construction and impartial leasing of storage facilities in the Hamburg Free port (free trade zone). In the period remaining prior to Hamburg's accession to the Customs Union in 1888, sufficient space had to be created on the free port area for the storage and processing of the goods, which had previously been spread over the entire urban area of Hamburg. After Prussian State Railways acquired the Berlin-Hamburg Railway, the director Adolf Götting lost his position. Roeloffs recommended his appointment as operational manager of HFLG and Götting led the HFLG very successfully for over