Marine Tattle

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 334, 20 April 1928, Page 2

Marine Tattle

WORLD’S OIL OUTPUT. —The world's production of petroleum during 192 7 reached the big figure of 1,254,000,000 barrels, an increase of 156,000,000 barrels, or 14 per cent., over the total for 1926. The American Bureau of Mines reports that the United States continues to produce more than 70 per cent, of the world’s total, the output rising from 770,874,000 barrels in 1926 to 905.500,000 barrels in 1927. Mexican production decreased by 23,000,000 bai*rels, leaving Russia in the second place and Venezuela third.

SWEDEN’S FASTEST FREIGHTER.— The Transpacific Shipping Company, Gothenburg, a subsidiary of the Transatlantic Company, has taken delivery of the first of the two passenger and cargo motor-ships ordered last year from Gotaverken, Gothenburg. Named Mirrabooka, she lias a maximum speed of 162 knots, and a service speed of 15 knots, which makes her the fastest cargo vessel flying the Swedish flag - . Her length overall is 457 ft, her beam 57ft, and her depth, moulded to shelter deck 39ft lOin, while when fully loaded she has a draught of 26ft 7in. Light watertight bulkheads divide the hull into forepeak, three forward holds, machinery space, two after holds and after peak. On the promenade deck, accommodation is provided for 20 first-class passengers in two-berth cabins, and there is a dining saloon panelled in dark birch. The captain’s quarters are on the boat deck and the officers’ on the shelter deck amidships. The propelling machinery consists of two sets of Gotaverken-B and W. four-stroke, six-cylinder Diesel engines, developing each 3,200 i.h.p., at 110 r.p.m. All the auxiliaries are electrically .driven, for which there are three generators with a combined output of 266 k.w. For her maiden voyage the Mirrabooka will make a special trip round the world, via the Panama Canal and Australia, on completion of which she will be employed in her owner’s regular service between Sweden, Australia and the Far East.

BRITAIN’S IDLE TON N AGE.—-The return of unemployed tonnage at the principal ports of Great Britain and Ireland on January 1, 1928, is, at first sight, somewhat disappointing, says the “Nautical Gazette.” The figure on January 1 was 372,000 net tons, which shows an increase of 99,000 net tons on the figure for October 1, 1927. The usual seasonal tendency is for the unemployed tonnage to contract during the fourth quarter of the year. During the past six years the only year in which the fourth quarter witnessed an increase was 1924. Undoubtedly the increase is partly a reilection of the sharp set-back which occurred in freight rates during the last two months of 1927. On .careful analysis, however, the position is better than a cursory survey suggests. The increase in the unemployed tonnage is mainly traceable to the addition of 29 vessels of over 1,000 tons. Apparently these are passenger liners, out of commission for renovation and repair; unemployment among this class of vessel is by no means unprecedented in the winter months. In any case, it is probable that there will be an early recovery.

There is, indeed, much ground for satisfaction in a review of the course of unemployed shipping during recent years. Comparing the current figure of idle tonnage with the figure for the end of each of the past four years, there has been a continuous improvement year by year, apart from the exceptional year of 1926. British shipping, in fact, is showing an encouraging capacity to adapt itself to a lower scale of earnings, for whereas the average level of freights at the end of 1927 was approximately 5.5 per cent, lower than four years ago, the tonnage out of commission has declined by 258,000 tons, or 41 per cent.

AMERICAN SHlPPlNG.—Sounding a note of alarm at the low ebb of American shipbuilding' at the present time, Mr. Homer L. Ferguson, president of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, appearing recently before the House Committee of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, emphasised the futility of a programme of naval construction if the American merchant marine is to be allowed to disappear from the seas, and anent present shipping legislation before Congress Mr. Ferguson spoke his approval of the White Bill and his opposition to the Jones Bill. The enactment of the White Bill would, he felt sure, be followed by the placing of contracts for from 10 to 20 ships, and would result in an upbuilding of the American merchant marine in that it would allow operators to make money and would in turn give a degree of prosperity to the shipbuilder. A merchant marine is of far more importance to a country than is a navy, Mr. Ferguson. said, and a large maritime country could well scrap its navy. Control of the seas lies in ships, and if there were no navies the country having the largest fleet of merchant ships would exe'rcise control, he said. The shipbuilding industry in the United States is now at the lowest ebb in 30 years and there is grave danger of the art of shipbuilding being lost in this country, according to Mi-. Ferguson. His own company, which he said could easily handle all ships now under construction in commercial yards in this country, is with difficulty keeping the organisation together in the face of a loss of money each year. While the United States seemingly is going backward in its merchant marine activity, other nations are going forward. The witness presented tables carrying a comparison of the merchant fleet of the maritime nations, showing the types, speed, tonnage and age of all ships. These showed that Great Britain was far in the lead, possessed of a fleet virtuallyin every respect, with the single exception of tonnage, superior to the combined fleets of the United States, Japan. Italy, France and Germany, Great Britain controls 19,000.000 out of a possible 42.000.000 tons of shipping. It has 886 vessels less than five years old, while the other five nations named have but 493 vessels of that type. Comparing the costs of construction in American and British shipyards. he explained that the money paid in the United States for engineering .talent, which constitutes the backbone of any shipbuilding organisation, was much greater than in Great Britain. A designer who would get 10,000 dollars a year in the United States would be lucky to get 300 dollars a month in a British shipyard. The big salaries in Great Britain, he said, went to the managers and the executives. Skilled labour cost, he added, did not differ greatly here and in Great Britain. WITHIN WIRELESS RANGE— The following vessels are expected to be within range of the undermentioned wireless stations to-night:— Auckland.—Niagara, Turakina, Port Napier, Voco, Buchanness, Newby Hall, Ka ponga, Kaiapoi, Waipahi. Chatham Islands.—Devon, Port AuckI land, Herminius. Wellington.—Maori, Wahine, Tamahine, Ngaio, Arahura, Aorangi, Radix, Mahia, Mamari, Port Adelaide. Kaitangata. lonic, Remuera, Kaikorai, H.M.S. Veronica, Kairanga, Ikala. Cowden Law, Terawhiti. Awarua. —Makura, Manuka, Tahiti, | Somerset, Yoseric.