The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1904. PRIZES FOR RUSSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 205, 2 September 1904, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1904. PRIZES FOR RUSSIA.

England's remarkmjble position ns the world's carrier ii&s seldom perhaps been more conspicuously illustrated j than during the present Russo-Ja-panese war, writes the Doily Mail. Nearly all the vessels stopped by the , Russian privateers have been British and to judge from the activity of the Russian vessels in the ; Red Sea just now seem likely to remain so, unless the Government take strong measures in the direction of putting an end to -the annoyance. The state of tilings has not changed i much during the past two or three years, and to a certain extant the position of Britdslhi shipowners is similar to that in 1900, when Germany and France requisitioned the help of British transports for the conveyance of their contingents to China. Germany and the other I maritime nations have, to !be sure, increased thedr, carrying trade during the last few years, 'but Great Britain has done sq as well. Also a ( not negligible portion of t'he world's carrying trade is possessed by tie ; British colonies ; and altlio-ugh the advantages of this do not strictly ac- ' crue to the United Kingdom, never- • theless it is a considerable factor in the wealth, and maritime power of the Empire. British steamers and sailing vessels load and unload in almost every port throughout tht world ; they are to be met with on every ocean highway, and you "speak" them in the distant waters of each of the five oceans. Those who still love the old sailing ship will ragret to learn that the progress of the last three years shows the process of elimination is still being - steadily carried out. In just over three years the figures of the sailing sbipa owned by the United Kingdom have decreased from 1894, vessels of 1,727,687 tons to 1537 of 1,392,13 i tons. According to ''Lloyds' Register of Shipping," 1904-5,799 stea mers of 13,999,218 tons and 1537 sailing vessels of 1,392,132 tons are owned by the United Kingdom. If to these we add those belonging to our colonies—loßß steamers oi 867,309 tons and 926 sailing vessels of 322,186 tons—we obtain a grand total of 8787 steamers of 14,866,527 tons and 2463 sailing vessels of 1,714,318 tons as the sum formation of tte British Empire's merchant inavy—a pretty large cake for Russia n privateers to nibble at. Of the other countries 1 Germany comes next as steamship owners. Germany owns 1483 steamers of 2,891,869 tons, and is followed by the L'»ited States with 1266 steamers of 2,440,794 tons. Norway has in recent years displamted France from third place as far as wumber of ships goes, a nid now aggregates 1038 steamships with A tonnage of 1,017,248. France, however, has the greater tonnage of 1,252,457 with 755 steamships. Fifth in tonnage is Spain, amd in ondesr after her como Japan, Holland, Russia, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Italy. A great advance has been made in recent years by Austria, and she has now gone from twelfth place to ninth, Italy having fallen from sixth to twelfth. The sailing vessels list is somewhat different. England and her colonies again como first in ton*age, and close om their heels comes America. These are followed by Norway third, Germany fourth, Italy fifth, Franco sixth, Russia seventh, Sweden cightlh, Denmark ninth, Turkey tenth, Greece eleventh, Portugal twelfth, Holland thirteenth, and Spaim fourteenth. The world's shipping totals are 18,467 steamers of 28,632,684 tons and 10,823 sailing vessels of 6,156,505 tons. Of these, 8787 steamers of 14,8(10,527 tons and 2463 sailing vessels of 1,714,318 tons are British—if the colonies are included.. Taking sailinlg and steam vessels together, hut not including numerous small sailing vessels belonging to. Greece, Turkey, Southern Russia, and the Dutch East Indies, of which satisfactory particulars cannot ibe secured, tto world's oversea trade ia carried oil in 29,290 vessels with aa aggregate tonnage of 34,789,189. Of these vessels 11,250 are British, with a tonnage of [ 16,580,845. In 1900 the figures were different,. The world's soa trade was conducted iby 28,422 vessels, with a tomntege of 29,043,728 tons. Of these 10,838 vessels of 14,261,254 tons were British. Thus our percentage of the world's carrying trade has it three years decreased from 49.2 per cent, to 45.7 per cent.