AUSTRALIA'S SHIPPING TRADE

Evening Star, Issue 19443, 29 December 1926, Page 11

AUSTRALIA'S SHIPPING TRADE

INCREASING TOTAL

Details of the shipping trade of Australia for the year ended June 30, 1926, have been made available by tne Commonwealth Statistician, Mr G. -p. Wickens. The volume of oversea shipping which entered . and cleared the Commonwealth, the interstate shipping of each State, and the number and total tonnage of all vessels have been included. The oversea shipping trade, measured by the number and net tonnage of vessels entering and clearing, which were considerably less than tor the previous year, and also by the tonnage of cargo shipped and discharged, was adversely influenced by the British seamen’s strike at the end of IJ-o* Vessels under foreign flags comprised approximately 25 per cent, of the total tonnage entered with cargo, hut such vessels carried more than 27 per cent. of the cargo discharged at Australian ports during .the year. As compared with .the previous year (the only other year for which similar cargo statistics are available), the proportion of the oversea cargo brought to Australia by British vessels shows a decrease of 1.86 per cent., from 74.49 per cent, in 1924-25 to 72,63 per cent, in 1925-26, while in regard to outward cargo the tonnage lifted by British vessels increased, from per cent, of the total to 75.82 per cent., or 2.53 per cent. The percentages. ol Australian, other British and foreign tonnage on the total entered from overseas during 1925-26 were 7.18 per cent., 67.95 per cent., and 24.87 per cent, respectively, as compared with averages of 10.06 per cent. (Australian), 67.20 per cent, (other British), and 22.69 per cent, (foreign) for the quinquennium 1921-22 to 1925-26. . A considerable increase m vessels ol New Zealand registry was recorded during this period, but the fact that the port of registry of a number of vessels was changed to New Zealand ports between the years 1922-23 and 1923-24 precludes effective comparisons being made. By far the largest percentage increase of foreign tonnage is credited to Norwegian vessels with 2.70 per cent, of the total tonnage entered in 1921-22 to 4.93 per cent, in 1925-26. The percentages of Danish and United States American tonnages' increased from 0.62 per cent, to 1.61 per cent., and from 3.06 percent. to 3.87 per cent, respectively during . tho same period. No Italian or United States American vessels entered direct from oversea in ballast during the yean Interstate shipping embraces two distinct elements—vessels engaged solely in tho interstate trade and vessels proceeding from one State to another in the course of their voyages from or to oversea countries. During the year 1925-23 the total interstate shipping recorded as entering tho several States, including their repeated voyages, was 7,829 vessels, of a total net tonnage of 21,679,010, including 3,139 oversea vessels (15,001,432 tons) proceeding interstate in continuation of their overseas voyage, and 4,690 vessels (6,677,578 tons) engaged solely in interstate trade. The total inward movement is the lowest recorded since 1931-22, but while the number of vessels is less by 311 than tho average for tho quinquennium, the net tonnage is 293.421 tons in excess of such average. This feature .is duo to the tendency towards increasing the tonnage of both oversea and interstate vessels. The interstate cargo shipped, 5.735.973 tons, which is almost entirely carried in vessels registered in Australia. showed a decrease of 678,002 tons over the previous year, and was almost 100,000 tons less than tho average for tho quinquennium ended - June 30, 1926. The oversea cargo discharged during tho year 1925-26 (5,312,621 tons) was the largest quantity recorded in any one year, and was 646,509 tons greater than during 1924-25, which was, however, an exceptional year.. Tho oversea cargo shipped (5,169,407 tons) was 1 328,691 tons less than the total for 1925-25, hut 187,886 tons more than for 1923-24. If oversea and interstate cargo, both inward and outward, arc taken together, the year 1924-2 o reached tho highest point yet recorded both in quantity of cargo and on a per capita basis.