BRITISH SHIPPING.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11847, 31 May 1919, Page 8

BRITISH SHIPPING.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Cojiyright. Received May 31, noon. London, May 19. Delayed.— Speaking on the Ministry shipping vote Mr Leslie Wilson said that some control of the shipping was necessary for demobilisation and repatriation. The Ministry had handed over building contracts for 159 ships to British owners, who suffered losses through the war. The Ministry sold sixty-eight ships ■ to a British owner and fifty-seven to foreigners. Altogether the Ministry received 19>£ millions for ships which cost millions. British ships of over five hundred tons prewar aggregated 18Ji> million tons. ' This was reduced to 15,300,000 at the beginning of 1919. The United States’ prewar tonnage was 1,700,000 and was now 6,400 000 tons. Britain has constructed 551,629 tons since the armistice. BUILDING DESTROYERS. Loudon, May 19. Sir E.'Geddes, in the .House of Commons, warmly defended the policy of building destroyers at the expense of merchantmen otherwise at sea, so far as merchantmen were concerned, had been our ■weakest front, and would necessitate the withdrawing of men from the army. The submarine sinkings created one of the gravest situations of the war. The Government did the right thing in establishing national shipyards and would have been guilty of criminal neglect if they had not made every effort to supply ships. Received May 31, noon, Loudon, May 19 Arrivals, at Loudon: Malta”, from Wellington, via Australia. At Avonmouth: Argyllshire. At San Francisco: War Music. Departures, for Wellington: (Jpawa, Ruahine and Otira; for Port Chalmers; Mannganui; for Dunedin, Waiwera; for Napier, King Cyrus.