ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1918, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

NEW. BRITISH TONNAGE. 'Reviewing the position of shipbuilding in Britain, the annual financial and commercial review of the London Times says the past year should, perhaps, be judged rather a s one of preparation for the shipbuilding needs of' a long war than by the actual tonnage launched. The want of co-ordination of effort in the early months of the year caused a confsiderable reduction in the tonnage which might have been launched *iad the .policy now initiated been put in operation at an earlier period. It was too often the case that when the necessary supplies of labor were available there was a shortage of shipbuilding material, and another cause of delay arose from the fact that hulls were completed before the machinery was ready. Immediate progress was also ibampered by the preparatory measures for a programme of standardised construction. The establishment of a national yards in South Wales has been viewed as premature and unnecessary, being regarded as a threat to that private enterprise which has won for the United Kingdom the premier place in the industry, while even as a war expedient the consequent diversion of labor and materials was looked upon as a mistake. The reply to these objections is that existing yards will not be robbed either of labor or materials for the State yards, and it is understood that measures are to be taken to ensure the fullest utilisation of the existing shipbuilding facilities before giving out work to the national establishments. The steps which have been taken by the Government are, however, designed to provide for the possible needs of a very protracted war, and it may well be that before the end of these national yards, as well as an augmented private shipbuilding industry, may be necessary to cope with the need for tonnage It is generally agreed that although'the preparations for a programme of standardised shipbuilding may for the moment have retarded progress, it is destined in the long run to have the effect of expediting production, and unless the anticrpations now entertained are grossly falsified the shipbuilding output for the current year should establish record figures. Although only a disap' pointingly small number of the standard vessels have been coiftpleted, this arises from the fact that it was neees-' sary to clear the building slips of a large number of vessels already under construction. There are now a considerable number of the standard yessols asproaehirtg completion. It is, of course, a material advantage that the machinery equipment of the ships now under construction, as well as the hulls, hns been standardised, as this will serve to prevent a repetition of the delays wlnoh formerly hampered the delivery of new tonnage. RPFJRSONAL