Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, JULY 21st, 1916. BRITISH SHIPPING.

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 July 1916, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, JULY 21st, 1916. BRITISH SHIPPING.

The recrudescence of submarine activity serves to direct attention to the Empire's unrivalled position on the ocean highways and the necessity for maintaining it unchallenged after the war. As a

nation we 6xist by the sea. This ls. as 'true of-New Zealand and Australia and oilier portions of the Empire as of the British. Isles. The sea protects us and the sea feeds us. The ocean highways guarded by our British Navy are the trunk lines of commerce which support ns, and the vital question of the moment is that we should

see that those pathways are kept freely supplied by,British tonnage. . The war lias taken toll of many fine, ships bearing our flag formerly employed on these highroads of the Empire, and it is. possible that before the war is ended we shall lose more of them, though the British Navy has their protection pretty well -in hand. The strain put upon British shipbuilding yards for the fulfilment of war orders for the Admiralty has': prevented the construction of

merchant tonnage at anything like a normal rate, hut the Home authorities,, vie win g the importance of the situation, are understood to have made arrangements

* for a certain amount of extra work to be' done in this respect, and doubtless, so soon as hostilities cease Britain will experience a t shipbuilding boom of unprecedented magnitude. There needs to? be some stipulation, however, that when this boom sets in preference shall be given to orders for British ships, and that when vessels are built they shall not be

transferred to foreigu t regi sters. We have fought a great and costly war • to maintain the position we hare won on the face of the globe, a and care must be taken lest through lack of foresight we allow other competitors to come in and challenge our supremacy. The United States is devoting itself to shipbuilding as.fast as it can, and it is quite entitled to furnish itself with ships to carry its extensive foreign trade. America., however, lias much leeway to make up and cannot be regarded as a serious competitor, unless through unwisdom on our part we allow American dollars to come in and buy British bottoms, absorbing whole fleets of steamers as the American shipping ring has sought to do. It would he interesting to learn what is behindAhe recent acquisition of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s steamers by. the P. and 0. Company, and the absorption of the Commonwealth, and • _ Dominion Line in the same combination. If it is purely a British move by British companies for the purpose of giving greater efficiency of seiM .vice and economising in cost, well and good; if, on the other hand, there are American Shipping Eing interests behind the big combination, the public, as a North Island contemporary points out, may have reason to regret i the loss' of identity of two fine companies which in the past have served New Zealand well and done much to develop the Dominion’s trade with the Motherland. If seems to ns that the sensational purchase made by the Premier of the Commonwealth was an act of wise statesmanship. Mr Hughes realised the importance that will, attach to the possession of shipping; after the war, and though he may have .paid a stiff price for the vessels he has purchased, the possession of them will give Australia some measure of security regarding its overseas trade and stand as a guarantee against exploitation. One could wish that New Zealand had such a fleet of State-owned steamers at its hack to carry its- produce to the markets of the world. Some interesting .statistics regarding the depletion of the British merchant service were given in England a few weeks ago. Lord Beresford, who drew attention to this matter irt the House of Lords with his customary vigor, placed the total of ships lost by submarines, mines, and in action, at 860. Ad- _ niiral Sir Cyprian Bridge has * stated his belief that the total amounts to about half Lord Beresford’s figure. The naval correspondent of the Daily Express has kept a careful record arid arrives at a total of 307 ships, of an approximate tonnage- of 2,250,000 during the first eighteen months of war. It is manifest that every

requirement of the iuition at the present time and in the immediate future, the correspondent adds, demands the replacement of , those ships. What is being- done ? The annual summary of the ! world’s shipbuilding- issued by Lloyds at the end of 1915 showed that during- that year there were ; launched in the United Kingdom i 327 vessels of 650,999 tons; That , is to say that, while we have ac--1 tually launched as many ships as we have lost, they are all so small that our carrying capacity at sea ’ has been reduced by nearly " 1,600,000 tons. Furthermore, Lloyd’s register shows that for the j the first quarter of this year work was started,, in the thrpe months on only fifty-four new steamers of [ 102,723 tons. These figures show - the need for a clear, long-sighted 1 oplicy regarding the future of 1 British shipbuilding. Particularly is it important that we should not t allow potential rivals in the future trade to occupy berths in our shipyards at a time, when the needsof our own merchant service are so great. Britain must not be crippled after the war by lack of ships to meet the great expansion j of commerce and the great coin--3 petition of trade rivals which «re - sure to follow. The Union Jack 5 of Old England must he 'kept fly- ’ ing as before in great predominance in all parts of the world.