BRITISH SHIPBUILDING.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3378, 13 June 1927, Page 2

BRITISH SHIPBUILDING.

With so many prophets of the decay of English industry one finds it difficult to realise that British shipbuilding is still able to snatch contracts in the teeth of tire keenest competition, and the fact that Messrs Thornycroft and Co., of Woolston, near Southampton, have secured for the British industry the largest foreign naval contract to he placed since 1914 is therefor a thing of which we can laudably be proud.

Laudably but for the arriere pensee that one wished that it had been ships for commerce and not for war.

Its interest to New Zealand is closer than is indicated by the mere fact that the Old Country has secured it, for the contract is one to provide the Government of Chile with the six heavy destroyers representing the first instalment of its new naval programme. It is a clear commentary on Pan-Pacific Conferences and Washington restrictions.

Although it is not yet possible to give details of the contract, its value is probably over £2,000,000. Chile has always favoured large dimensions! in her destroyers, and the new ships are expected to bo of a very powerful type. Their construction will give employment to something like 2000 workers in the Southampton district for a period of nearly two years.

It is understood that the Chilean Government will shortly he in the market for cruisers of the 10,000-ton class, costing about £2,000,000 each, asJ well as for submarines, so that our shipbuilding industry lias a good prospect of securing further valuable orders for naval tonnage in the near future.

French and Italian firms made a special effort to book the order for the destroyers, the prices quoted being on a distinctly competitive basis, but in the end the Chilean Government decided that it could get the best value for ibsi money in England.

The decision is a striking tribute to the high reputation that our naval architects and ship constructors enjoy abroad.