CONCRETE SHIPS.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1918, Page 5

CONCRETE SHIPS.

CONSTRUCTION IN DOMINION. The new era in shipbuilding heralded by the ■ launching of the large new American concrete vessel, Faith, is apparently not destined to dawn in New Zealand during the war period. Inquiries on Saturday by the Auckland Herald from authorities on shipping and concrete elicited the information that, providing proper plans were available, nothing stood in the way of turning out in normal times in New' Zealand concrete hulls equal to American or European hulls of similar material. "However," said a gentleman prominently associated with the cement industry, "in addition to concrete, there is a large quantity of steel used in the construction of a ship's hull and steel is an unprocurable commodity at present. Moreover, the necessary engines and other fittings would have to be imported, and, owing to the war, these are also unprocurable." lie added that small concrete vessels for service on canals had been in use for many years in Italy, and perhaps, in other countries, but these vessels had been not more than 200 tons in weight, but were merely used as barges. He was of opinion that concrete ships had come to stay, though some variation from the original lines of the pioneer ship might be found necessary before the perfect type of concrete vessel was evolved. The cost of a concrete vessel, lie said, would be little more than half that of a steel ship, and concrete hulls could be completed in about a third of the time it took to construct a wooden vessel. Owing to cheapness and rapidity of construction as compared with other types of ships, the concrete vessel was apparently destined to prove a strong factor in solving the war-time shipping problem for the allies.

Reverting to tlie possibility of constructing concrete vessels in New Zealand, lie said tlmt by the time the shipbuilders of the Dominion would be in a position to undertake such work, concrete ships would have been thoroughly tested in all respects. Pinall vessels for coastal work, he considered might be built in New Zealand but the importation of the large amount of steel necessary for reinforcing the hull, as well as the engines and other fittings, would always be more or less of a handicap in undertaking the construction of large vessels. On the other hand, we liad in' I New Zealand concrete material oqur.! tr any in the world, and a solution f<r the steel and engine problem might !• I found in years to-come.