The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-01-13
NEW SHIP
BUILDING RECORD
Past Year One of Unparalleled
Prosperity in the Annals
of the Trade.
Amount of Tonnage Turned Out by
Irish Firms the Highest in
Their History.
Twenty Vessels With Combined Ton
mage of 184,608 Tons Launched
on Lagan in 1911.

The closing year has been one of
unparalleled prosperity in the history
of the shipbuildng trade of Belfast.
which, unlike that of the Clyde, the
Tyne, the Wear, and other centers, is
confined to two frms-Messrs. Har-
land and Wolff. Ltd, and Messrs.
Workman, Clark and Co.. Ltd. Over
$4,000 men have found constant en-
ployment during the year, which has
in every respect been notable one.
The amount of tonnage turned out has
reached a record for the I.aEan.
Messrs Harland and VOLTS output is
the highest in the annals Of the firm,
and with two exceptions the highest
ever attained by any firm in the world.
and their pay sheets during the Year
topped anything previously known;
while McsSrS. Workman, Clark and
Co. have nourished to such an cx-
tent that their works now cover an
acreage hitherto unsurpassed in their
history. Other noteworthy events
have been the trials of the Olympic
and the launch of the Titanic-the
worlds largest liners. which by d
strange combination of circumstances
We're afterwards to lie In the harbor
almost together, when the Olympic
came from southampton to be re-
paired after the collision with II. M.
S. Hawke. The opening OF the worlds
largest craving dock on the 1st April
by the entrance of the olympic mark
cd another stage in the progress of a
progressive port. Labor disputes have
happily not been serious. A strike of
holders-up who had 4 grievance
against rivcttcrS caused some ilcon-
| venience at one time, and towards the
end of the year there was a dcmarca-
ton dispute between shipwrghts and
! joincrs, which was referred to an ar
bitrator In November advances of
wages affecting lO,600 hands were
grantcd--a reliable index Of the pros
pcrity of the times. This firm (says
the belfast Evening Tclcgraph')
takes the second place this year.
During the year twenty vessels with
a combined tonnage Of 1S4,60S tons
were launched on the Lagan the
! highest on record, compared with six
teen with combined tonnage of 165,-
SG4 in 1910. or this years output
Mcssrs. HarInnd and Wolff are re-
sponsible for ten steamers with a
tonnage of 11S.209, and Mcssrs. Work :
man, Clark and Co. for ten with a
! tonnage of 66,399, the best figures at
tnincd by them within recent years,
save in 1909. when they were for the
first time first in the United King
dom.
AT the beginning of the year, ac
corting to Llnyds Register Returns
there we're twcnty-four steamers
building in Belfast, with Il gross ton
mage Of 230,S07. On 1st April the
number of vessels under construction
was the same, but the tonnage had
increased to 1881 On 1st July the
number of vessels WAS still twenty
four, but the tonnage had dropped tt
2426l6 and on list October Uhc lat
est date on which official returns are
availablc) the number Of vessels wa:
again twenty -four, and the tonnage
: had i,Imncd IN to 233, 3,SJS or well OVcl
| a quarter of IL million. The fact tina
tweuly-four vcsscs were under con.
as fast as slips became available
: through launches new boats were i'm
lncdiatcly commenced on them. The
! tonnage for the second quarter Of th'
!, year was the highest ever known II
+ Belfast, and at the present moment j
+, is very little behind that gigantic fig
urc. 1t has been erroncously stated u
Z many newspapers that Messrs. Har
' land and VOLTS output is a world
record II comes very near it; bu
= the record is held by Mcssrs. Swan
!. Hunter and WiSham- Richardson, o
the TYNE who in 1906 fhe Maurc
t tania year, launched vessels with al
aggregate tonnage Of 126,92l tons
+ This firm takes ,.rst place this yea
with the fine total Of 12J,050 tons.