The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1916. SHIPPING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 81, 8 July 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1916. SHIPPING.

[-ob ■"'l-'' ■ no" 7 "'■>/"""■'•: '•" -,'" '■ Aecorjiifljg ;tp Jliq ,return* issued by the number, of merchant vessels under, construction in the, United Kingdom at the close of the last quarter ended' March 81 was 424, of which all !)iit four wire steamships, and I heir total gross tonnage was 1,423,435. These figures show an "increase ef four in the number of vessels and of 59,845 in their tonnage as compared with the preceding quarter, but the number is smaller by 47 and the tonnage by 164,032 than in March quarter of 1915. During last quarter construction was started on 54 steamships with a tonnage of 102,723, and one sailing ship of 160 tons, while 67 steamships with a tonnage of 80,161 and 10 sailing ships of 500 tons were put into the water. As showing the tremendous demand for ships of all classes and conditions mention may be made of a recent report from Copenhagen, of a remarkable example at Svendborg of the straits to which shipping has been reduced for want of tonnage, anything that can float being pressed into service.' Two old sailing vessels, one the Marie, of Troense, built in 1776, and the other the Tvende Brodre; of Marstal, built in 1786, have been rigged up and sent out to enter the competition for the enormous freights now offered everywhere. The Mercantile Gazette has it on good authority that freights from the United States to Australasia are likely to be reduced next month (August), the rates having already been cut in one or two isolated instances. Shipbuilding in America has been feverishly pushed ahead of late, and the advent of many new vessels is bound to influence *in our favor the present exorbitant rates of freight. There is no indication, however, of a reduction in freight between England and Australasia, in fact the indications are rather the other way. The rates were recently advanced, and the sh.ppuig companies decline to book space ahead so that we may resonably expect higher freights rathan than lower.