BRITISH SHIPBUILDING

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 123, 27 May 1933, Page 23

BRITISH SHIPBUILDING

Although British shipbuilding is still at a low ebb, there are distinct signs of recovery in the- industry, according to Lloyd's Kegistc-r shipbuilding returns for the quarter ended March 31, 1933. During the last thre© months the new work commencei in British, and Irish yards, amounted to 77,306 tons, or more than 5000 tons in excess of the tonnage on which work was started during the whole of 1032 (states "The Post's" London correspondent). Tho tonnage of merchant shipping under construction in Great Britain and Ireland at the end of March, aggregated 252,401 tons, or an increase of 2(3,904 tons, as compared with tho work in hand at tho closo of tho previous quarter. 'Nevertheless, this higher! total : .was still' 120,572 'tons below the! tonnage which was being built at the end.-of 1032. . ■ The slight increase recorded above in the quarterly total of work in hand is the first to be noted since March, ID3O. The figure for March, 1933, includes about 147,000 tons on which work has been suspended—l32,ooo tons of steamers arid 15,000 tons of motor-snips. About 65,000 tons —nearly 2G per cent, of the tonnage.now'being built in this country—are intended for registration abroad or for sale. Tonnage now. under construction abroad totals 488,543 tons, and is about 52,000 tons less than tho work which was in hand at the end of December, 1032. It is the lowest recorded sinco December, 1909. Of the world construction of 740,944 tons, 04.1 per ceut. is being built in Great Britain and.lreland, and C 5.9 per cent, abroad. Iv Great Britain and Iceland 77,306 tons were begun during the last three months, this ilgure exceeding by more than 5000 tons that of the tonnage on which work was started during the whole of the year 1932.