Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-10
was about thirty fee, long and was driv-


Ever since that date Glasgow has stood
foremost of all the cities OF the world in
the shipbuilding industry. II REACHED its
highest record In 1907, when 6l9,9la tons
of shipping were launched, with The In
domitable and the Lusitania. the two
most advanced types OF vessels. AT the
top. 1t is interesting to watch the growth
of the industry. which has varied con-
siderably from year to year. but mas
kept steadily increasing. In ls6o the TO.
tai was AZ S33 tons; in 1870 II was lp. wi
tons; In 1880 ii was 2H, ia tons; In lS9o
it was 34a 9a5 tons: in 1900 IL was 4S6. 80
tons: in 1908 il was $3.50 tons, and IN
1907 it was 619,9l9 tons--more than that
of the whole continent of Europe omit
ting Germany, and twice as much as
Germany alone.
This tonnage in 1907 represented 80
steamers and 6ts,,52i horsepower or en-
gines-an average OF nearly LOO tons TO
the vessel.
There are forty-one shipbuilders on the
Clyde, big and little. and every one OF
them produced a least one vessel In lSoI'
Mackie & Thompson built %. Denny
Brothers, 20; Russell G. Co., IA, with
tonnage Of 71.7Oo, and Hamilton d Co..
10. with a tonnage of 1895.
With the exception Of that on the Clyde
there was a considerable falling off in
marine construction in Great Britain
during the last year The total number OF
ships built in 1907 was SO in compari-
son with 1871 for the previous year, but
the tonnage for 1907 was 1,S14Sl, while
for 1906 1t was 2.OO2,511. This shows
larger number of vessels of smaller ton
mage. which is the reverse of the record
of previous years. The tendency here
tofOre has been to increase the size and
reduce the number Of vessels. and l can
not find any one to explain why there was
such a sudden and radical change during
last year.
This Years Record Bad.
The present year, however, will show
a record that is very dscouraging. 1t is
not expected that the total tonnage OF
vessels constructed will equal that of
twenty years ago, or that of decade at
least. Some authorities insist that not for
a generation has there been such a gen
eral depression in the shipbuiding trade.
and the manager of one OF the Shlpyards
told me he did not expect a revival OF
business for at least another year. The
general explanation is excessive building
in 1905. 1905 and 1907. which was fol-
lowed by the recent panic in the United
States that upset all calculations and
more or less paralyzed the trade Of all
nations.
1t is astonishing TO see and hear the
results of the financial furry that &C.
Cured in New York last fall. The conse-
quences were even more serious In Eu-
rope than in the United States. and they
illustrate how dependent the older coun-
tries are becoming upon the United
States for their ordinary prosperity and
business activity. 1t is difficu to under
stand why this should. be. but neverthe-
less it is a fact. and the shipyards of
Glasgow, like the linen mills of Belfast.
are idle now because the people of the
United States are not spending is much
money as usual. Another reason Is the
high rates of wages which have been
forced up during the last ten lars Of
unprecedented activity. combined with
the high prices of shipbuilding materials,
which are explained in a similar manner.
Everything has advanced in value every
where. The price OF steel plates cannot
be reduced without revising the entire
scale of wages from one end of the
earth to the other.
Another reason for the depression is the
falling off in commerce. Comparatively
little shipping is going on at present. and
therefore the steamship companies do not
want any more ships. They have already
laid up a part Of their fleets and the con-
sequence in Glasgow is that about 5000
skilled mechanics and as many more coal
miners, laborers. teamsters and sailors
are out of employment and bowling for
work.
Poverty of Workmen Is Pronounced.
Although the wealth of Glasgow is pro-
digious. the poverty OF the city is equally
live from hand to mouth. and there are
munity Of a. million souls. Notwith-
standing the great wealth of the people
and the long list of benevolent institutions
and charitable societies. the municipal.
cellor of the eXchequer at London for
grant of 100000 out of an appropriation
of 81 100000 made at the recent session
Of parliament for the relief Of the unem-
ployed. There was a meeting here the
other day of persons interested In this
subject. when the problem that will have
to be solved this winter was described by
experts as very serious. 1t was asserted
that not less than 10000 and perhaps as
many as 1900 wage-earners would be
entirely dependent upon the public for
food and fuel for at least five months
because of the slump in shipbuiding. in
the construction of new buildings. in ship
ping, coal mining. general manufacturing
and in fact in all lines of industry and
business which would undoubtedly con-
tinue until next spring and perhaps next
summer. Indeed there is no telling, it
was said, when prosperity would be re-
sumed. In the meantime 10000 unem-
ployed workmen represented perhaps
5000 families of women and children who
would have to be fed because the COM
munity could not see them die of starva-
ton: therefore. immediate steps must be
taken to provide for the approaching
emergency.
Hard Times Evident.
Mr.. Henderson, manager of the Anchor
Line steamers which run between Glas-
gov and New York, says their business is
very dull and during the last six months
all of the Atlantic steamship companies
have been carrying more Storage pas
sengers astward than westward because
of the difficulty of obtaining employment
in the United States. Some of the people
are bringing home money, but the major
dollar for steamship tickets because they
have friends in the old country upon
whom they can depend until business re-
wives in the United States Remittances
from the United States, which have
amounted to millions Of dollars annually,
have almost entirely ceased. and that fact
will be seriously felt throughout the king
dom during the coming year. This same
statement was made in Ireland, as I
wrote you from there. and only empha
sizes what l have already said about the
growing dependence of the people of the
old country upon the prosperity OF the
new. Conditions in Canada are generally
parallel to those of the United States and
no relief can be expected from that quar-
ter.
There are various forms of furnishing
relief from the public treasury in times of
business depression over here. There is
Indoor relief which means the poor
house. and there is Outdoor relief which
means souphouses, buckets of coal and
bread lines, and there is also a system of
furnishing labor for the unemployed at
nominal wages on public works. All these
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