ENEMY SHIPBUILDING.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1917, Page 3

ENEMY SHIPBUILDING.

According to a notice making the rounds of the German newspapers, the Hamburg-Amerika Line is hurrying to completion "the greatest slli P in ™ c world." the oG.'OOO-ton liner Bismarck, and three other ships of -22,000 tons each. The Vijlcan yard in Bremen is said to be building nine vessels, including "the largest cargo-boat in the world," with a total tonnage of IS.OOO, and two aggresating 17.000 tons "for traffic in the Panama Canal." The HamburgSouth American Line is building a sistership to the. auxiliary cruiser Cap Trafalgar, which was sunk by the Omardcr Carmania. The Xorth German Lloyd is completing at Danzig two large passenger ships, Columbus and Hindenbivrg. of .LI 000 tons each, the Munich and Zeppelin, of 16,000 tons each, and twelve shins of about. 12,000 tons each. The A f riea Line is laying down sis. the Ttansa Line eight, and the Kosmos Line ten ships, ranging from 9,000 to 13.000 tons each. As these alleged activities are considerably in excess of ordinary peacetime construction, the statements require to be received with reserve. They sfcow, for one Wing, an am]rte supply o? labor. The output of steel mills i» Germany and the occupied portions of i France and Belgium is now practically level with Germany's peace-time maximum production, so that German shipbuilders are probably in no want for their chief raw material.