LOSSES OF MERCHANT SHIPS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1615, 26 September 1916, Page 4

LOSSES OF MERCHANT SHIPS.

The detailed returns of shippinglosses for-the last quarter of 1915 show submarines to have been an almost negligible factor. The total losses from all causes during these months were 333. vessels, ol 600,-

930 tons, and of this tonnage more than two-thirds, or 107 vessels, of 409,587 tons, were due to the war. It is a striking fact that the British war losses, not withstanding that the merchant lleet to-day is more fully occupied than ever before in its history, make up in tonnage only 1.12 per cent, of the total tonnage owned in the United .Kingdom. Although most of’the German merchant heel is safely locked up, its total losses during the three months were 10 vessels, of 34,030 lons, all of these being Vessels of less than 3,000 tons. The losses by war were 13 vessels, of .31,499 tons. The French losses from war equal 1.6

per cent, for the quarter, those of Italy 1.8 per cent., those of Japan i just over 1 per cent., and those of Norway 0.69 per cent. The outstanding feature, is that the total

losses of the British merchant fleet 7 during the three months in question are only 1.5 per cent, of the total tonnage owned, or at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum. The German losses are at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum, according to tonnage, which is in a way surprising, in view of the fact that German ships can only operate in the Baltic.