IDLE SHIPS.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1922, Page 5

IDLE SHIPS.

’ NUMBERS LAID UP. ALL NATIONS AFFECTED. SCHEME TO MEET SLUMP. By Telegraph.—Press Assu.— Copyright. Received Feb. 26, .11.5 p.m. London, Feb. 25. Sir Frederick Lewis, in his presidential address at the Chamber of Shipping, said about thirty thousand maritime officers and seamen were iinemployed, and he estimated that 2,250,000 tons of British shipping was laid up in the United Kingdom. The United States Shipping Board had a thousand vessels lying idle, representing over four million tons, apart from wooden and priv-ately-owned vessels, while most other maritime countries were in a similar position. Schemes for proportionate laying up of tonnage and for breaking up and even sinking old and absolete tonnage had been discussed. “These schemes,” he added, “all start with the idea, of cutting down the supply to meet the demand. J think we should all like to see the demand increased up to the supply, and all that we, as shipowners, can do is to get operating costs down to a minimum and to raise efficiency in cargo handling at our ports to the maximum.” —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.