BUSY YEAR ON THE CLYDE

Taranaki Daily News, 13 March 1920, Page 10

BUSY YEAR ON THE CLYDE

LARGEST OUTPUT SINCE 1013. Returns now available of the amount of work turned out by the Clyde shipyards during last year show that only once has the output of 12 months been greater. That was in 1913, when the aggregate tonnage /was 750,790. Last year's returns, which are subject to revision, show an output of 406 vessels, aggregating 045,374 gross tons, and with machinery of 1,023,778 indicated horsepower. •

It was anticipated after s'gning the Armistice that, with the immense amount of construction waiting to be done as a result of the depredations of enemy submarines and the suspension of mercantile building for fully four years, the first peace returns mild constitute an easy "record," but 'i-y soon various adverse cireumslanc. entered into these calculations, and for a time it was feared that the returns would fall below the average for pre-war years.

The volume of new construction has been diminished considerably by the great amount of labor and plant utilised for the reconditioning of vessels commandeered by the Admiralty, so as to fit them to resume their usual mercantile work, and by the scrapping of par-tially-constructed naval vessels. During the war the shorter working week was brought into operation, but this has had no very great ell'ect on output, as timekeeping has greatly improved in many establishments.

As compared with 1918, when 440 vessels were launched, with a tonnage of 532,004 and an indicated horse-power of 1,889,809, there is a substantial increase in tonnage, and a fall in horse-pow.T, due to the falling off in the construction of high-powered war craft.

LINER BUILT IN 9J MONTHS. Two "records" were achieved during the year. The destroyer Tyrian, a Scotstoun vessel, attained a speed of 40 knots on its trials, and the Anchor liner Cameronian was built in 94 months by Messrs. William Beardmore'and Co. to replace the vessel of the same name lost by enemy action. Chief honors in construction go to Messrs. Harland and Wolff', who turned out 14 vessels of 75,871 tons in their Govan and Greenock yards.

The most outstanding vessel included in the return is the great battle cruiser Hood, constructed by Messrs. John .Brown and Co. at Clydebank, at a cost of about six millions. In engineering this firm takes pride of place with a total of 295,300 indicated horse-power. The outlook for 1920 is extremely bright provided that serious labor troubles can be avoided. The amount of .work now on hand—about 1.000,000 tons—is the largest in the history of the Cldye.