WORLD'S SHIPPING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18052, 28 September 1920, Page 4

WORLD'S SHIPPING.

1314 AND 1920,

AMERICA'S GREAT INCREASE.

(Prom Quit Own' ConnESPojrDKjrT.) LONDON 1 , Augnst 5. Six years ago the United States posted 2,000.000 tons of bca-going merchant ships-to-day lie owns nearly 12,500,000 tons, or "i. times as nruch ns was afloat under tho German flag in Juno, 1914, Germany then ranking as tho eocond maritimo power of tho world. These are facts which emerge from a Btudy of the tables prepared for the 192021 edition of Lloyd'e Register of Shipping. Tn 1914 tho ateam tonnage owned in tho United Kingdom amounted to 18,832,000 tons RTofKi, while in 1020 tho figures Btand at 18.111,000 tons. British dominions owned 1,632,000 torn in 1914, and in 1920 they owned 2,032,000 tona. Amoog the principal coniitries,

apart from Germany, the United Kingdom and G-reeco are the only onos which show a considerable reduction in tho steam tonnage now owned aa compared with 191-1. Notwithstanding the increased construction and the largo amount of ox-enemy tonnage provisionally allocated t-o British management, there aro at tho present timo some 781,000 tons loss of etcamers owned in the U.K. than in 191-1. Most of tho other countries show aa mcrcaeo, very considerable in aomo chaos. -Lho seagoing tonnage of tho United States has mcreasod by nearly 10,400,000 tons—over 600 per cent, increase on tho 1911 figures. tner countries in which tlie largest increases are reoorded aTe:—-Japan, 1,255,000 tons; 1,011,000 tons; Italy, GIS.OOO tons. _ ° r Franco and Italy include a, neidCTablo amount of ex-enoniy tonnage provisionally allocated to these countries! POSITION OP GKIiM ANY. The figures for Germany conclusively show the change in tho maritimo position of that country. \Yhi]o in 1014 Germany occupied, after tho United Kingdom, tho first position with ovor 6,000,000 tons of merchant steamers, only 419,000 tone are now recorded in tho book as Germany, every thing el so having been either captured, requisitioned, or allocated to tho Allies in accordance with the ieace Treaty. The relative position of somo other countries has also altered to a largo extent. In 1914 tho United Kingdom owned 41-6 per cent, of the world's steam tonnage; present percentage is 33. G. Norway, which occupied tho fourth place, is now soventh, while Japan, which was sixth, is third. had there been no ttar. An interesting speculation is made as to what tho position of tho world's shipping might have been had there been 110 war. Assuming that tho ratio of increase during 1914-1920 would have boon about four-fifths of tho averago ratio increase of the previous six years, we should now possess 21,420,000 tons. America 2,155.000 tons, Germany, 6,478,000 tons; and other countries. 21,050,000 tona Owing to tho war only 47.587,000 tons is now afloat. As regards tho United King<lom, _ wlic-TO during tho war merchant shipbuilding had to take second place, the present totals show a decrease of nearly 3.000.000 tons of steel steamers as compared with what could reasonably havo been expected but for the world war.