BRITISH SHIPPING

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20247, 16 July 1937, Page 7

BRITISH SHIPPING

THE MERCANTILE MARINE. BIQ INCREASE IN TONNAGE. LEADS ALL OTHER POWER 3. (Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 14. Another substantial increase in the mercantile Itonnage tunder construction in the shipyards of the United Kingdom is shown in the return for the quarter ended June 30, issued by Lloyd’s Register. The present total of 1,199,973 tons is an increase of 185,519 tons on that of the preceding quarter, and is the highest quarterly total in the last seven years. Britain is building more tonnage thaJi the aggregate under construction in Germany, Japan, the United States and Holland, which are the four leading countries abroad. During the last three months British yards began work on 367,698 tons of newmerchant vessels, an increase of 114,205 tons, compared with the previous quarter. The total tonnage now under construction in other countries is 1,682,887 tons, W’hich is about 245,000 tons above the March figure. The leading countries are:— Tons Germany 416.881 Japan 318,277 United States 198,652 Holland 188,464 Sweden j 138,720 Of the world's total of 2,882,860 tons now under construction, British yards are building 41.6 per cent. About 100,000 tons, equal to 8.3 per cent, of the tonnage now toeing built in British yards is intended for registration abroad or for sale.