The Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1938 BRITAIN'S MERCHANT NAVY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 13 December 1938, Page 6

The Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1938 BRITAIN'S MERCHANT NAVY

SPEAKING recently at a meeting of the Navy League, Lord Lloyd expressed the opinion that the British mercantile marine is in a parlous condition. In that service to-day, he stated, there are 2000 ships fewer than there were in 1914, though in the British Isles there are 20 per cent, more people than there were twentyfour years ago. That is to say, there are in Great Britain more people to be fed, and less British vessels to bring them food from across the seas. Foreign nations I are increasing their shipping facilities, and Great Britain is using the 1 services of foreign vessels for the transportation to her shores ol those essential supplies of and raw materials which she must necessarily obtain from countries overseas. So far as British ship- ! ping is concerned, the situation has deteriorated definitely in the 1 last twenty-four years. In the year i 1914, Great Britain owned 44 per I cent, of the world’s shipping: to- | day she owns 28 per cent. —a

| reduction of 1 6 per cent. The ' fact is that foreign countries which we?e accustomed to use British ships have created maritime services of their own, and are transporting imports and exports in their own vessels. In the period I specified they have increased their j' merchant shipping from 26 ( million tons to 46 million tons—an increase of 20 million tons.) Thus, Norway’s increase is nearly | < 2 million tons; Japan’s increase 1 is nearly tw T ice that; Holland’s over one million tons; Italy’s a million-and-a-half. The United 1 States have increased their por- . tion from 4.5 of the world’s ship- , ping tonnage to 13.4 per cent, j But the decline of Britain’s mer- ■ | cantile marine has a parallel: Germany’s shipping has decreased from 11.3 per cent, of the world’s aggregate (in 1914) to 6.3 today. Nevertheless Germany, to- . j gether with Japan, Italy, and Russia, “is pursuing a policy of shipping expansion, and increasing the competition which British | (mercantile) fleets have to face.’’ The explanation is that, quite un- | foreseen and with remarkable suddenness, an economic blizzard j assailed the shipbuilding industry in Britain; the basic causes being I high shipbuilding-costs and low ! freights, whereas in countries | abroad shipbuilding-costs remaini ed normal or below normal, and freights were kept low with the i help of Government subsidies. In I many quarters in Britain the opinion is held that the use of subsidies on a wide and liberal scale will be necessary if the British mercantile marine is to regain the predominant position it formerly held in the world. 1 o reveal the position in a few words, it need only be said that some few months ago there were being built in Britain 176,046 tons of new shipping, and that at that time there were being built in i foreign yards 537,636 tons. In j : spite of the big naval shipbuilding j ; programme which British yards i are carrying out, there are com- ; , plaints that through lack of orders shipbuilding languishes in Great j Britain, and in many quarters there the opinion is expressed that the use of Government subsidies on a wide scale will be necessary if the shipbuilding trade of Great Britain is to contend successfully against foreign competition.