New-York tribune., 1918-03-21
6,000,000T ons
Sunk In Year,
Says Geddes
Losses Now Exceeding Out
put by Only 100000
Tons Monthly

LONDON, Mafch 2U.-One OF the
most important statements on the ship
ping situation ever made in this coun-
try was the speech delivered in the
House of Commons to-day by Sir Eric
Campbell Geddes, First Lord of the
Admiralty. He appeased the demand
which has become general recently
that the country should be told the
exact amount of the shipping losses.
and he also announced the appoint
ment of Great Britain's foremost
builder. Lord Prric, chairman of the
Harland & Wolff Shipping Company,
as controller general of merchant
shipbuilding.
Lord Pirrie will not be a member of
the board of the Admiralty, but he
will have direct access to the Premier
and the War Cabinet, His appoint
ment, it is indicated, will be received
with the greatest satisfaction.
Sir Eric's speech was a simple state
ment Of facts, with no oratorical SEN
tences, but he was listened to more
attentivcly than the most eloquent
orators i'll the government. He spoke
during the debate on the navy ship
building bill.
Figures on the shipping output and
tonnage losses of Great Britain will be
published regularly hereafter, aSir Eric
announced. 1t would not be in the ma
tional interest, however, to give the
tonnage of losses up, to date, the First
Lord added.
Decrease 100000 Tons
The worlds tonnage, exclusive of
enemy ships, had fallen 100000 from
the beginning of the war to the end Of
1917, he stated.
The amount OF tonnage sunk in the
last twelve months was 5.oOo.o 900, said
Sir Eric, instead of 100000, as the
Germans claim.
The merchant tonnage produced in
the fourth quarter of 1914 was 100000.
he said. and it had fallen steadily since.
The total Allied and neutral tonnage
ls now 42,000,000, Sir Eric stated. the
fact that it is at this figure being
largely due to the new construction by
the United States and the seizure Of
German ships.
During the last quarter of 1917. said
Sir Eric, the Allies We're averaging
within 100000 tons monthly of max
ing their losses good, and were then
replacing rs per cent of their lost ton
mage.
In the debate which followed Sir
Eric's statement Premier Lloyd George
believed that by special exertion the
deficiency Of 10000 tons monthly in
British shipping could be made good,
thereby making it impossible for the
enemy, who was unable to defeat the
Allies in the field. to defeat them bv
the process of destroying their trade.
"This would do more to shorten the
war than any individual effort the
country could put forward" said the
Premier, because it would bring home
to the enemy that however long he
went on with the war he would never
be able to defeat u.s."
Jellicoe Removed at Own Rehuest
Mr.. Asquith made the interesting
revelation that Admiral Sir John Jel.
llcoe had been removed from command
of the grand fleet at his own request.
with the express object Of dealing with
the submarine menace.
Discussing new tonnage. Sir Eric
Geddes said that the output was very
low in 1915. and reached it's loves
point in 1916. This decline had been
coincident with the increased output
of munitions, and before the intensj-
fed submarine war begsn Great Britain
was 100000 tons to the bad.
At the present time, Sir Eric Ceddee
said, the forty-sevcn shipyards. with
209 berths. were engaged on ocean.
going merchant vessels.
The shipyard work was completelv
d!sorganlzcd during the first two wears
OF the war from various causes. hc OK.
planned, but. nevertheless. there had
been an. enormous accomplishment bv
the shipbuilding industry. The outnns
for the last quarter Of 1917 was 4oO. .OOO
tons, as against $4,000 tons for the
last quarter of 1916, while during the
last quarter of 1915 it had been onlv
$4,000 tons.
When the controller of construction
took over the shipyards there were
fifty large merchant ships in various
stages Of construction upon which
work had been stopped for lack of
sufficient material or of labor. said
the First Lord, and in many cases
they were congesting the shpyards.
1t was we'll within the capacity OF
the Allied yards. and even of the Brit.
ish yards, Sir Eric declared, to make
good the worlds losses If given an ade-