NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14767, 24 August 1911, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

BRITAIN'S MERCANTILE MARINE. The terrible suffering caused by the great British shipping strike witnesses to the national importance of the mercantile marine. Vast as this already is, it is constantly growing larger—its growth during the past half-century has been phenomenal. In the year 1860 the mercantile marine of the United Kingdom consisted of 27,663 vessels, of 4,658,687 tons net register, of which by far the greater part was of wood.' Of the total tonnage in 1860, 25,663 vessels, of 4,204,360 tons net, were propelled by means of sails, and 2000 vessels, of 454,327 tons net, were steamers. At the end of December, 1909, the merchant shipping of the United Kingdom consisted of 21,189 vessels, of 11,585,878 tons net, or 18,402,201 tons gross register. Of. these, 11*,797 vessels, measuring 10,284,818 tons net, or 16,994,732 tons gross, were steamers, and there were 9392 sailing vessels, of. 1,301,060 tons net,, or

1,407,469 tons gross register. From these figures, prepared by Dr. Thearle, chief surveyor of Lloyd's, it will be seen that there were 6474 more vessels in > Britain's mercantile marine in 1860 than there were in 1909, but the net tonnage in the latter year was. 11,585,878, as compared with 4,658,687 tons in the former year, showing an increase in the 49 years of 6,927,191 tons net register. But this does not adequately indicate the growth of the mercantile marine in that time. >To realise better the expansion which has taken place it should be noted that the growth in steamer tonnage was from 454,327 tons to 10.284,818 tons, while the reduction of sailing tonnage was from 4,204,360 tons to 1,301,060 tons. It is usual to compute that a ton of steamer tonnage is at least equal to three tons of sailing tonnage, as far as regards cargo-carrying capability in any stated time—say, ; for instance, one year. This- is' due to the greater speed with which the steamer performs her voyage, and the greater despatch she gets at her port of loading or discharge. In point of fact, the ratio is even greater than three to one, and is a continually increasing one. But taking it at three to one, it would appear that the ratio of cargo-carrying capability of the British mercantile marine in 1909, compared with that of 1860, is as 32,155,514 to 5,567,341, or nearly as six to one. . Considering that a ton of steamer capacity is so much more now than it was in 1860, the actual ratio is even still greater than this. Not only has the total tonnage grown enormously in the fifty years, but the average size of> ship has also grown at perhaps an even greater rate. The average tonnage of the sailing vessels of the mercantile marine of 1860 was 164 tons, and that of the steamers was 227 tons. A vessel of IGCQ' tons was then considered a large one, the Great Eastern notwithstanding. As was. stated in a paper contributed by Dr. Thearle to the Institution of Naval Architects in 1907,. the average tonnages of the cargo steamers afloat in 1870, 1880, 1890, and 1900 were respectively about 870 tons, 1330 tons, 1500 tons, and 1900 tons. In the year 1911 the average tonnage is about 2300 tons. In the same paper the average gross tonnages of the cargo steamers built in the years 1870, 1880, 1890,/' and 1900 were stated to be respectively 1050 tons, 1580 tons, 2150 tons, and' 3000 tons. The average gross tonnage,of the cargo steam; ers built in 1910 was rather more than 3000 tons. In 1860 the length of an average cargo steamer, as then being built, was under 200 ft, but by 1911 it had reached to from 350 ft to 400 ft. • AN ASPECT OP RECIPROCITY. A newspaper correspondent who is travelling with the Hon. R. L. Borden, the Opposition leader, in the Canadian West,' writes:"There- is a very ugly side to this whole reciprocity affair, which becomes apparent to the student on the prairies. The United States settlers have made good progress towards Canadianism. They came here knowing that Canada was under the British flag, and intended to stay under it. They came to a fixed and settled condition, and they.» accepted that condition and settled down to become British subjects. All was going admirably when the Reciprocity Agreement came on the scene. The situation then underwent a change. First, ihere is the indisputable fact that a large , proportion of the people of the United States intend reciprocity to lead to annexation, and expect it to do so. When , these United States immigrants left their former country, that country recognised and acquiesced in, Canadian independence of Washington. Now that country no longer acquiesces; it has .visions of absorption, of ascendency. In its eyes these United States settlers no longer are emigrants, men lost to the United. States, confirmed British subjects for the future, they •, now are missionaries of empire, emissaries who are to subvert British connections and fetch the Stars and Stripes north of the- forty-ninth parallel. The United States settler still; has his associations over . the border. He is bound to know that his old compatriots have changed their attitude. Can you wonder if his acquiescence in British connection were to be a bit disturbed V-