ALLIED SHIPPING PROBLEM

Southland Times, Issue 24773, 18 June 1942, Page 5

ALLIED SHIPPING PROBLEM

GROWTH OF BUILDING IN UNITED STATES i (8.0.W.) RUGBY, June 16. There is good reason to believe that by autumn three ships of 10,000 tons will be leaving United States shipbuilding yards every day and President Roosevelt’s objective of 8,000,000 tons this year will be ultimately attained. This statement was made in an analysis by The Daily Telegraph of the shipping problems of the United Nations in which it says it is known that for some time past Allied ships have been sunk faster than they are being built. The Daily Telegraph says the Maritime Commission is still far from having worked up to full pressure, but in May 58 ships were delivered, 68 were, launched and 75 keels were laid. British yards have increased their output to 57 per cent, above that of the last quarter of 1940, which was believed to be the limit of their capacity. The course of the U-boat campaign cannot be certainly predicted, but American protection and counter-offensive measures must have an effect and the vicechairman of the Maritime Commission was able to say yesterday that deliveries of ships were now nearly equal the sinkings. SIMPS FOR SECOND FRONT The Daily Telegraph points out that this is not enough, as the routes from America to the Middle East and Australia keep shipping months on the round voyage and increased supplies for Russia make convoys proportionately larger. Furthermore, the establishment of a second front in Europe in 1942 would need a large amount of tonnage and even the air force requires much transport for equipment and fuel. “We have yet to make a complete adjustment of the pooled powers of the nations to the general offensive,” it says. “Mr Roosevelt leaves no doubt that this is the task of 1942.”