SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 132, 26 May 1908, Page 4

SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY.

The gloomy forecast published sonic months ;i«o as to the outlook for the British ship-bniltling industry appears so far to have been warranted. Lloyd's shipbuilding returns for the first" quarter of tlii- present year show a considerable falling-oil' in tile amount of tonnage under const ruction in the Tinted Kingdom. The total number of vessels in bund at the end of .March was 413, of 547,">00 tons, as compared with .">8.") ships of 1..'!0ii,100 tons lcs ri than at the end of December, and 45!),000 tons loss than a year ago. Xo such decrease in the shipbuilding industry during a period <if twelve! months lias occurred since September. JSB-I, when the reduction in tonnage as compared with .September, lnx:i, amounted to over 4011,000 tons.' As regards I lie i]uantitv actually in hand, this was last touched in 1807, and was very nearly reached in 1003. More than half the tonnage under construction is for the Vuited Kingdom-.™!),200 ! —and then conic the colonies with 50,700 tons. Holland with M.tiOO tons. Xonvay with 28,100 tons, Germany with -7.K01) tuns, and Austria-Hungary with 27,100 tons. This is all merchant tonnage, and, in addition, 71 warships, of 282,000 tons, ,vere also building in Great Britain at the end of the (piarter. This last feature is a striking commentary z ( ''r, l 'r' < T,'" l 'l' o " ials submit* ted at The Hague Conference.