AMERICA BUILDS SHIPS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12194, 18 December 1917, Page 10

AMERICA BUILDS SHIPS.

MAMMOTH PROGRAMME BEGUN. I'iOO VESSELS ready in year. Striking particulars of shipbuilding activities m the United States ore siren in recent, issuos of a .Boston paper. In its issue of September that, journal announced that a statement had been issued by the. Shipping Board at Y\af.hingloii announcing that nearly T2OO merchant, voxels of about 6,000,000 touwould bo. completed within a little more than a year under the Governlncnt'a shipbuilding programme. Completion of .-.hip.-- commandeered m .'hipyards nnrl of vessels actually or about, to l)e contracted for would give America 3. fleet, of 161 V) ships with a tonnage of more lhan 0,000,000. In addition to this, the board would complete in 101!) vessels, already contracted t'o'■ and under negotiation, oi about, 4.000,000. A vote, oi' £200,000.000 has just been asked of Congress to com-pir-te the work. The British, whose i>resent oceangoing tonnage is about 10.000,000. are hampered in. building by lack of men and materials. In all other countries pxcr.pt Japan building virtually is at. a :• tandstill. M El! CHANT FLEETS OXWPARED | America now has a total oversea- tonnage of 'J,100.000. 10 which hins been added about * 00.000 tous of Get man and Austrian - shipping. Japan has 000.600 tons; Italy, 1.050.000; France, ) i .'-175.000; .Sweden, 860,000; Deuinark, 00 0,000; Spa in, 750,000: Russia. 550.000; Portugal. -OG.OOO; and all. oi South America. .'*'oo,ooo. The progress' of tho Emergency Fleet. Corporation in get-img rebels constructed was outlined in the. statement as follows: During the last two months there have been awarded contracts tor 1.18 wooden vessels cf JoOO tons capacity each to ~7 yards- I hey had viouslv been awarded contracts for -->o vessels of the same type and fifty-eight composite slnns. a total of 413. ivith a. tonnage of 1.-160,1)00. ore-at difficuß-v has been experienced on the Atlantic, coast in obtaining suitable, lumber, and it is anticipated there will be a greater delay in their completion than was on- l pec-ted. Since August. 1 there have i been awarded contracts lor 155 more ; steel cargo vessels of 1,076.800 tons to i six yards. 'Previous to August j t ]. seventv steel cargo vessels of j 557,00 D tons had. been contracted for i with ten shipyards. Therefore, at, the i present tifne the total, number of steel , vessels unclfcr contructiop is 22«j, a. tonnage of 1,633-800. The Fleet- Co'* ( notation has requisitioned 4.03 vessel*, of ( about 2,000,000 tons." SHIPS REQUISITIONED. j In its" issue of September 2S the same paper stated that the Federal Shipping Board bad made the turther announcement that after October lo t every United States merchant' vessel ) of more than 2500 tons dead weight f capacity, available for ocean service, was to be requisitioned by the Government. United States ships, available for ocean traffic, amount' to slightly more than 2,000.000 tons, but some of t them already have been taken over for s the armv and navy. c It, is stated (the report continues) g that in most, instances, except where } required for actual Government ser- a vice, the ships will be turned back to t their .owners for operation on Government account, subject, however, to c a,ny disposition the Shipping Board t may direct. v The rates announced are less than s" the present charter rates charged by t' American vessels for carrying Govern- A incut supplies. It is the inUalion, it 1

iy understood, to apply them loter to •my foreign ships chartered in the United States. The chartering will be in the hands of t-lie Shipping Board's, chartering coirariisiiom cf which Welding Ring of "S'ew York has just been named tho head. The Government if to assume the war risk on the ships requisitioned, and j'n some instances the marine risk as well- Where the marine risk is assumed. the usupl rate for this insurance wili bo deducted from the charter price. SHIPPING OUTLOOK STATED. In the course of an article setting out the prospects of merchant shipping, '• The Christian Science Monitor " says: "Great Britain's fleet of merchant ships, with a total touuage of 15.500,000, exceeds greatly that of any oilier nation, notwithstanding the losses sustained during the war. This tonnage is abouu seven times that, of the United States merchant marine, up to Hie summer of this year, and i» growing at, a pace which will easily maintain for it through an indefinite number of years to come, first) rank among the merchant fleets of the world. In making this sta-tement, full cognisance is taken of the vast merchant .shipbuilding enterprise upon -which the United States has entered, which promises, according to estimates just made public, by Admiral Capps. ' to bring _the. tonnage of the Republic up io i. ••1,500.000 before the close of 101 P. lr- will be nuicklv seen that, with all the shipyards of the United States employed »n construction, and with pII the capital and driving force which frie United >tar.es can command behind i iem. the American toniiaw at - wiH Still be 1 .OLO.OOO short- or what the British tonnage is to-day. and. since Brrtisn shipbuilding is proceeding faster -than American at the present "time, there is no prospect of the latter overtaking, much ]ess passing, tho former. GERMANY'S THREAT FUTILE. " .Nor is there any de'irc in tin's direction. Competition for commerci.ii ptecedence between the United . States and Great, Britain doe* not exist. What floes exist is inendly co-operation. The Urmed states, m going into the const. ruction, of a great merchant marine at this time, is simply answering Germanys threat to starve Groat' Britain and France. It is evident that combination between the merchant fleets of the United States and those of Great Britain, now and until the end of the war, will render Germanys threat futile- " According to. Admiral Capps ostimates, the United Statf% will have a merchant fleet of more than 2000 ships aggregating more than 13,000,000 tons' when the present activities of construction and commandeering bv the Shipping Board are completed." In addition, however, the 'United States is putting into shape, for use in the t railsAtlantic service, 117 seized German and Austrian jdiips, with a total tonnage of 700.283- The Emergency Fleet Corporation has commandeered • nearly TOO steel ships hi vnrioMs stages of construction. These will have a. total tonnage of 1.. 280,C00. HUGE CONTRACTS LET". ' It must be of interest to learn something of the character of the vessels under 'construction. During the last two months the Emergency Fleet Corporation has contracted for 118 wooden vessels of 3500 tons each. These contracts have gone to twenty-seven different shipva.i-ds. They are in addition to contracts for 235 wooden vessels of similar type and fifty-eight vessels of composite construction, previously negotiated. Thus, to date, contracts have been entered into for 411 wooden and composite vessels, of an aggregate tonnage of 1,465,000. But wooden and composite forms of" construction represent but a phase of :he merchaut marine undertaking. Previous to August 1 of this year, seventy steel cargo vessels, aggregating 587,000 :ons, had been contracted for. Since Aue'ast, 1, contracts have been made for 156 steel ..cargo... T.essel3 4 ..totalling:.

1,078,800 ton?. At the present time, therefore, the whole' number' of ftteci vessels, under construction in thu Ufcitad States is 226, of ai> agfir©g ate tonnage of 1.633,800. Congress hai before. it ;i. Bill providing tor the eonstniction of additional vessels, which will increase the tonnage already given by about 0,000,000. Plans are already being prepared for the building of this lipw fleet. there being no doubt. a-s'to the favourable action of Congress. Assuming the granting of the latest appropriation, the United States will hare, authorised the expenditure ol : •< tot a 1 of 359,800,000 on the merchant fleet- The appropriations to date aggregate £217,000.000.