UNITED STATES SHIPPING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 95, 16 January 1920, Page 7

UNITED STATES SHIPPING

LAST YEAR'S CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME. Seattle (Washington), December. That n number of passenger liners will be placed on the rim between Seattle and China'and Japan is indicated in a report made by Mr. John 11. Kossetor, lormor director of the United States Shipping Board. He recommends that the Shipping Board proceed at once with Iho construction of seventy?, high-class cargo liners' and ten smaller passenger vessels. He favours having private companies build and operate large, firstclass passenger ships. In his report to the board, 51r. Kosseter recommends Hint none of the farmer German vessels be permitted to bo retained by the War Department as transports. Mr. Rosseter recommends that these craft be used for passenger liners. The Shipping Board has made good its pledge to construct (1,0(10,000 tons of shipping in the year 11)11), it is announced by i\tr. John li. Payne, chairman of Iho board. By December 31 the board will have delivered 0,000,000 deadweight tons of shipping. On December lit had completed this year 3,818,500 deadweight tons as follow. Steel, 1,172,000; wood, 1,208,000; composite (steel and wood), 12,000; and concrete, GaOO. The actual construction programme on December 1 showed 2.1 M vessels, of which 2210 had their keels laid, with a tonnage of }2.!>2C,'18G dead weight. There were 1010 ships of fat number launched with a deadweight tonnage of 10,!!»I.OI7, of which 1071 vessels had been delivered tin lo December 2. In a statement issued by the Shipping Board it soys: "Within the last week Iho I'aeilic Coast needs for more ships for the Orient were, called lo our attention by a delegation. We are now caring for the cargo movement and expect lo steadily increase our fleet I hero. The crying need lor passenger vessels, which we realise, and which was again called to our attention by Iho delegation, we regret we cannot fill until the summer of next year, 1020. when the construction of our passenger ships is expected to be completed."