THE WORLD'S SHIPPING.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 February 1919, Page 2

THE WORLD'S SHIPPING.

VESSELS BEING BUILT. LAST SEPTEMBER QUARTER. OVER SIX MILLION TONS. Lloyd's Register Shipbuilding Returns on making their appearance deal with the quarter ended September 30. It has not been possible to compile complete information of the industry throughout the world. The returns comprise alt merchant vessels in course of construction in the United KJngdmo, the British Dominions, and allied and neutral countries. Warships and vessels built to the order of the Admiralty for other than mercantile purposes, aud ferro-concrete vessels, are excluded. The figures for Great Britain for the three quarters ended September 30, 1918, June 30, 1918, and September 30, 1917, are as follows: — Ships. Tonnage. Sept. 30, 191S ...... 383 1,740,983 June 30, 1918. 392 1.815,013 Sept. 30, 1917 390 .... 1,879,551

Of these ships 139 are between 5000 and 6000 tons; 36 between. 6000 and 8000 tons, and 27 between 8000 and 10,000 tons, There are six between 12,000 and 15,000 tons, and two between 20,000 and 25,000 tons; none being over this size. During the quarter 84 vessels of 341,341 tons were begun, and 67 of 250,984 tons were launched. If to the United Kingdom tonnage under construction are added the vessels building in Canada and tlie other British Dominions—l 99 of 301,281 tons—there is a total for the Empire of 582 vessels and 2,048,214 tons. The world's total is 2144 ships of 6,371,388 tons. ' Outside the British Empire the following is the construction of the leading countries:— Ships. Tonnage. United States 1020 .... 3,382,709 Japan 127 .... 260,875 Holland 105 .... 204,530 Italy 50 132,770 Swedon 64 .... 83,871 Norway 78 .... 77,609 Denmark 36 .... 51,153 France 7 .... 39,700 THE LOSSES OP FRANCE. EYES ON GERMAN VESSELS. "Pertinax," in the Echo de Paris, discussing the situation of the French mer- ! cliant marine, writes: —"Of all our modern passenger liners only two or three remain. The present available French merchant tonnage is estimated on paper at 1,700,000 tons, but the greater portion wiil be immobilised, because of re- ; pairs, which cannot at present be carried out. It will, therefore, be necessary for us to claim among the peace conditions, the handing over of a certain number of German liners, in order to enable us to resume at once our normal overseas trade, and to compensate us for the difference between the vessels seizd by us and those seized by the other allies, which are, respectively:—Great Britain, 412,000 tons; Italy, 229,000 tons; United States, 73iy)09 tons; and France, 340,000 tons. The low level of our shipbuilding construction, in consequence of the general military necessities of the Allies, which were met by France, is an additional justification for France being favored in I the partial or total distribution of the I German merchant fleet."