SHIPBUILDING

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 55, 6 March 1934, Page 10

SHIPBUILDING

BRITISH INDUSTRY

RECOVERY IN SIGHT

"Evening Post," March 6. .. The British shipbuilding industry is beginning to recover from what is generally conceded to be the worst depression of the century, but the position is still far from good. Although the proportion of commercial shipbuilding berths occupied rose from 5 per cent, to 20 per cent, during 1933, SO per cent, of the capacity of the industry was still idle at the end of the year. In a receut review of.British shipbuilding, a writer in "The Economist" remarks that the industry has never been really prosperous since the war, during which its capacity was enlarged far beyond peacetime needs. Even in 1929, only 51 per cent, of the shipbuilding berths and 76 per cent, of the workers in the industry were occupied. nationalisation, at first delayed, has made substantial progress in recent years. Excess capacity is being gradually reduced by National Shipbuilders' Security, Ltd., a compajiy formed three years ago with the approval o£ the leading shipbuilders, for the purpose of eliminating redundant shipyards. During the three years of its operations the company has effected the dismantling of 116 shipbuilding berths. In addition 43 berths have been allowed to fall out of xise. According to an article contributed ] by Sir. Norman 11. Dewar to the "Iron and Coal Trades Review" of January 26, the total shipbuilding capacity of this country has been reduced by about 23 per cent, during the past three years. As the capacity o£ British commercial shipyards three years ago exceeded 3,000,000 tons per annum, and as the probable future demand is not expected to exceed half that tonnage, it would appear that a substantial number of berths must be scrapped before the industry can once more be said, to be efficiently organised. Measured by launchings of mercantile vessels, 1931 was the poorest on record since.lßßS. Recent figures are: — U.K. proportion Thousand gross tons, of total.

Since launchings in any year depend on the orders placed in the previous year, the figures for 1933 do not reflect the improvement in activity, j The extent of the expansion in commercial construction can, however, be measured by the volume of work in hand at the end of the year.- As the following table shows, the gross tonnage under construction in the United Kingdom rose from 225,000 at the end of 1932 to 332,000 at the'end of the past year. Although the latter figure is still only a fraction of the tonnage under construction in the years before 1030, it i nevertheless represents an appreciable improvement, especially in view of the fact that the tonnage under construction abroad showed a Surther and substantial reduction during the past year. As a result, the proportion of the world's tonnage under construction in the United Kingdom rose from 29 per cent, at the end of 1932 to 44 per cent, at the end of the past year. Mercantile Tonnage under Construction (Thous. gross tons.) End United British proportion Year. Kingdom. World, of total.

Of the total mercantile tonnage launched in the United Kingdom during 1933, 121,000 . tons were for registration in this country and only 9.1 per cent, were for registra'cion abroad or for sale, as compared with 31.2 per cent, in 1932 and 40.7 per cent, in 1931. An analysis of the tonnage launched shows that only seven vessels were of a tonnage exceeding 5000 tons each. The largest vessel launched was the twinscrew motor-ship Port Chalmers of 8535 tons built on the Tyne. Only two other Vessels, each a motor-ship of 6900 tons and launched at Belfast, exceeded 6000 tons. Six vessels of a total tonnage of 2641 . were launched for the carriage of oil in bulk, comprising one steamer, ,three . motor-shps, and two non-propelled barges, one of which was an all-electrically- ■ welded vessel of 720 tons. The tanker tonnage represented less than 2 per cent, of the total output in .the past year, as Compared with 3 per cent, in 1932 and 48.5- per cent, in 1931. The tonnage of vessels fitted withl internal-combustion engines amounted to 47,825 tons, which is 36.4 per cent, of the total steam and motor tonnage launched during the year. ■ The total launchings of foreign countries in order of importance were as follows:— Japan, 74,290 tons; Sweden, 60,860 tons; ■ Germany, 42,195 tons; Holland, 35,899 tons; France, 34,073 tons; and Denmark, 34-016 tons.

1924 1440 [929 .'■ 1523 L930 1479 L031 502 L932 3S8 L933 r 133 2793 2SS9 1(117 4S9 61 . 54% 51 31 2G 27

L924 .... 125)7 1929 .... 1560 1930 .... 909 L931 .... 401 L932 ....' 225 1933 332 2446 3090 232G 1404 76G 757 53 50% 39 28% 29 44