IDLE SHIPYARDS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 126, 24 November 1923, Page 13

IDLE SHIPYARDS

EXCEEDINGLY GRAVE POSITION

WER^Siil£^^ ABOra

_ Lloyd s Register of Shipping sent out ks shipbuilding, returns for the quarter ended. 30th- September last, a resume of on imiTA Pu"isheijn "Daily.Mail" on 10th,October. The facts! ancf figures given m these returns-are not official, but nowhere also can- be found so exact a,nd complete a survey of the shipbuilding industry, throughout the world as in these carefully c6mpiled statistics, inc. state of the industry as it was just ten days ago is, laid bare before us/ it may ba objected that quarterly shipbuilding returns cover too short a period wherein to measure fairly thei industry's health and activity. There is something in this, and the -figures become\ much more sigmficant when they are compared with.those of other quarters. Here are the essential totals over the,past two years i—— . ■ . .

«J jast, winter tnere ™as a, short-lived boom in.orders for new/tonnage which, is reflected in the tohnago'laid down aud later launched. The relatively high percentage of tonnage launched to tonnage commenced -in the. twelve - months ended September, 1922,, is explained in part b-y. the- clearing, off. of old liner, orderson which work had been suspended, in same cases forbears ■

• Now the launches of the September quarter are only one-fourth what they were m the December: quarter, while /the tonnage of new vessels laid down haK a year ago was 3 to 1 to-day. Moreover the tonnage recently/commenced represents several large, liner units and not many orders evenly distributed •As may be seen, our shipyards to-day are m an exceedingly grave position and future- prospects; are; far from bright. There is little or.no.work;for them fnor can there be until oversea trade and. shipping revive and .labour disputes terminate.. , - :

Possibly Belfast will show a lafrger output this year than last,-somply^ because the launch, of one-large vessel there can make all the difference in its returns but elsewhere I doubt whether any shipbuilding district will be proud of its year 1* work Certainly, the Tyne, the Wear, and the Tees will-not, nor I the Clyde either. Their records will alj be on a, new low level .of activity, for the tonnage under construction ten days a^o •«-t' x*•??™ est ~ r. n-ear!y fourteen year's. What this means with shipyard "Wlant •never so extensive or so up to date^e it is to-day may be imagined! : And yet this.is the time chosen by:the boilermakers to. tear up. a wage azreement made in their name and to be lock ed- out for,over 23 weeks on a question in which they are held by their fellowworkers to bo morally, and technicreUy m. the wjong. . Little, .wonder the mass grow in our shipyards', and silence .and poverty fall over, the shipbuilding towns like a;pall.' •. . °

Tonnage under Tonnage under - * construction constructiou At ' ■ ' •i l n--MI K-and '"'toe rest „ ■ Irish yards, of the world. »r^^:::.tSs " | : 'Excluding Germany and Danzlg.-Vfigurea not 1 . available. • ■

. Tonnage Tonnage ending Irish yardu. - of the world. »c^ 21,::::::::: X ■,:. « *p^% -ssr± :JSte- -IS &^,« ■■;•■■• 261.000 ■23i;0°0°S March, 1923 ............ 225,000 355 000 ■ June. 1°23 ■ 239000 o« 000 September, 1823 ...... esloOO „•' .-liffl '