SHIPBUILDING CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 207, 26 May 1908, Page 8

SHIPBUILDING CRISIS.

LARGEST DECREASE 01/TONN4.GE ' SLXCE 1884; •' '. ;. That, a serious - .crisis/ has arisen in .the British shipbuilding industry is evidenced by the returns compiled by Lloyd's. Register of Shipping. It appears that, excluding warships, there'were '415 vessels, , of 847,301 tons gross, under construction in the United Kingdom at the elose of the first, quarter of this yea.r. Of these, 357 were steel steain vessels, with/a gross of 839,446. The remainder,were 34 steel and 24 wood, and comsailing vessels, having a gross tonnage of 8055.' The tonnage now under'construction is 101,000 less than-that- which was in hand -at the 'end of • last ■ quarter,' and 459,000 leis . than that'' building twolvo months ago. No such docreaso in the shipbuilding industry during a. period of twelve months has occurred since September, 1884, when tho reduction in - tonnage, as compared with September,, 1883, amounted to over 469,000 tons. / The largest amount of work in-: hand is at Glasgow; where 112 vessels, with a gross tonnage of. 170,543, are now being built. At Belfast 23 vessels 'are ,under, construction; Barrow, Maryport, and Workington, 11; Greenock, .36; , Hartlepool and Whitby, 13 ; Middlesbrough and Stockton, 17; Newcastle, 64; and Sunderland, -23. Tho United Kingdom owns 246 of tho vessels-undor: construction; British colonies,' 37; Brazil; 28; Norway, 13; Franco, 8; Austria-Hungary and •Greece, -7: each; Germany, 6; Argentina,; 5; Egypt, Russia, and Sweden; 4 each; Holland and thev United States, 3 oach; Italy, Belgium, and Turkey,: 2 each ; ACuba, Mexico, ■ Siam, Spain, and Rumania', l each. \ ■ Th?re are 9 British warships. under.,' construction in Royal dockyards, and 46 at private yards, and their classification is as follows Seven first-class battleships, 5 .firstclass armoured cruisers, 1 third-class cruiser, 7 torpedo-boat destroyers, 21 first-elass tor-pedo-boats, : and 14 submarines. Two Rattleships, 2 scouts, 2 gunboats, B'dcstroyers, and 2 submarines are being constructed for foreign. Governments, or forunknown owners. The latest, returns at Lloyd's - regarding foreign shipbuilding show that .Germany •is constructing's3 vcsseJs, tho United States 49, Norway 37, Hollaud 36j France 24, and Aus-tria-Hungary 14; ffhil.Ti various other'countries have smaller orders oh hand: