EMPIRE SHIPPING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24525, 6 February 1941, Page 7

EMPIRE SHIPPING

NEW CONSTRUCTION POSITION SATISFACTORY MANY VESSELS ON STOCKS (British Official Wireless) I United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph--Copyright) RUGBY, Feb. 4. Commenting on Britain’s mercantile shipping position, the Minister of Shipping, Mr Ronald Cross, said it was not only in the shipyards in the United Kingdom that new construction was going forward. The Empire ship-build-ing yards, by providing new tonnage, were helping Britain to defeat the Üboat menace. Canada, which before the war had about 1,250,000 tons on the shipping register, had launched vessels from the yards at Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax. A large number of merchant ships were how on the stocks, and it was announced recently that Canada was to build 18 large merchant vessels for the British Government. There were some 40 ‘Shipbuilding anc( repairing establishments in the dominion, and even before the war about 4000 permanent workers were employed. In 1938 repair work was done to a value of over £3,000,000. Although South Africa had not a shipbuilding industry on a large scale, repairs could be carried out at Durban, where there were well-equipped, repair yards and a dry dock. Shipbuilding in Australia Australia had built only a small number of vessels before the war, but had since greatly enlarged her shipbuilding capacity. A yard was to be established at Whyalla, in South Australia, to build merchant ships up to 12.000 tons, and Mr W. M. Hughes, Minister of the Navy, had declared that shipbuilding must become one of the great national industries of Australia. Orders amounting to £250,000 for engines and machinery had been placed in Queensland. Speaking of the strain on British shipping, Mr Cross said: “ I should like to tell you of the extraordinary variety of troop movements which have been carried out by the merchant navy. We have carried Canadian troops from Canada to this'country, to Iceland and the West Indies; Newfoundlanders to this country for the Army and Navy, and for. log cutting; Australians and New Zealanders to the Middle East and to Britain; South Africans to East Africa and Egypt; Indians to East Africa, Egypt, and Britain. In addition we have moved Gold Coast, Nigerian. Palestine, and Cypriot troops. We have carried troops from this country to such a variety of places that I will not detail them to you, for they cover the world from Bermuda to Singapore, from Iceland to Hongkong. BRITAIN’S MERCHANT FLEET AN AMERICAN REPORT WASHINGTON, Feb. 4. (Received Feb. 5, at 9 p.m.) Representative Jonkman, referring to the report of Admiral Harold Stark, said that Britain’s merchant marine at the end of December consisted ol 17.679.000 tons, or 261,965 tons greater than before the war. He said acquisitions during the war amounted to 3 006,000 tons, against losses of 2,744,000 tons The acquisitions included the following:- Tons New building Mmnnn Captures .. ... 410,000 Requisitioned Danish and French ships Purchased ships 543,000 He said the figure excluded Allied and neutral tonnage under charter, and, in addition, excluded tonnage laid up for repairs, estimated at 1,300.000 tons in September.