BRITISH ANXIETY

Evening Post, Issue 50, 27 August 1935, Page 17

BRITISH ANXIETY

SHORT OF TANKERS

.The shortage of oil. tankers under the -British.- fiag: is causing anxiety inresponsible naval circles, writes Hector" Bywater in the "Daily Telegraph." - ' So serious is the situation, from "the" national defence viewpoint that'Gdvernmerft action, possibly involving some form of subsidy,' may" be taken to speed up the output '0f ..,'-. tankers,' especially those of;large capacity and good1 speed. '' '. •'. • :

It is estimated that'in war we should require from five to; eight times "as much oil a year as was necessary in

The/whole Navy and half the mercantile, marine now depend on oil, besides the : R.A.F., the ~ mechanised branches of the. Army, and almost-ithe entire system of road transport ' ' Adequate and • prompt deliveries of this vital fuel have become one of the biggest problems of national safety. It is known to be constantly under review by the Committee of "imperial Defence. •

In case of war, all but a fraction of our supplies would have to come fromoverseas./ The nearest source ikHaifa; southern.terminal of the Irak pipe line, over 3000 miles from. England. Persian oil,', if conveyed via the Suez Canal, has to travel 6200 miles, but in: the. quite possible event of the-Eastern Mediterranean being closed to British shipping in waiy the tankers would have to be routed via the Cape of Good .Hope, increasing the distance to. England to 11,000 miles. '.',.

The nearest United States sources are weH over 3000 miles-away. " Our present ocean-going tanker fleet comprises only 370.

.Tanker building slumped heavily, during the recent years of depression! and is still far below, the normal rate. Most of the vessels on. order aret'tb replace older vessels. ':':'-.'/'