REQUISITIONED SHIPPING SPACE.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2752, 22 April 1916, Page 2

REQUISITIONED SHIPPING SPACE.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—Having seen in your Saturday's edition a cable_ message dated April 13 that the British Government have requisitioned the enormous shipping _ space of twenty million tons, I' ask if there is not a. great likelihood of a large quantity of it not being put to the best use .possible at the present time when there is such a shortage of ships ,to take. Home our produce. As a great many of your readers may not take the trouble to estimate how many ships it would take to make this amount of tonnage, I give it herewith. Taking 12,000 tons as the basis, it would take 1666 of this size and one of 8000 to make 20,000,000 ' tons. Of course, they have commandeered some several thousand tons larger than this, but the great majority are' smaller. Can it be said that a ship of over 16,000 tons is n suit-able ship to do patrol and scout duty, as the Alcantara was, that fought, and was sunk with the German raider in the North SeaP Would not a vc-spoT of from 3000 to 5000 tons be more suitable for this work? If'tile Hoitie Government could be persuaded to release say 2,000,000 tons, wliat_ a- great help it would bo—about 100 ships of the size oT'tlie Athenic. There is not the least doubt that they need a great amount of shipping for the carriage of troops, munitions, and stores, but .'the question is to put them to the best possible use at the present time. Thanking vou in anticipation,—l am, etc., ALKXH. AVATARS. Wellington; April-18, 191G: