WAR AND LOSS OF SHITS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15192, 12 April 1917, Page 5

WAR AND LOSS OF SHITS.

A HISTORICAL COMPARISON. In the war of the Spanish Succession at the beginning of the Eighteenth Century,, according to a historical summary at Paris, England lost 1300 vessels. In the Seven Years' War, in the period between 1756 and 1760, she lost 2500 ships, and during the Revolution, when the French Government concentrated all its naval efforts on attacking commerce, the Frenoh seized 2400 British ships out of 16,700, but by 1800 the British merchant-marine had risen to 17,900 ships. Up to Ist January of this year (says New York Evening Post), the Allies lost only 126 ships, of which 108 were British, by causes other than submarine warfare, while in the same period Germany lost 409, including 152 destroyed and 257 captured by the Allies. The following table shews, as far as facts are available, the shipping tonnage sunk and ite proportion td total tonnage: Tons. Peeoentsunk. age. Great Britain 2,300,000 11 Norway 350,000 13 France 290,000 12 Italy 170,000 9 Holland 107,000 7 Sweden 81,000 8 Germany 1,260,000 24 "Eig&t hundred thousand tons of the shipping lost by Germany is sailing under the Allied flag. England, by building and by capture, has virtually replaced all losses. France, by sequestration and capture, has half compensated ber losses. Portugal, through the seieure of interned vessels, has actually increased her fleet by 160,000 tons."