The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-22
Allied Shipping
Beats The U-Pirate
construction Now ~ Overcoming Pre-
viaus Losses Due to Submarine
Activities.

WASHINGTON. sept. ef~-Aftsea and
heatrat Sf1tp construction now is over
coming previous losses due To the sub
marine campaign
Meyer again will they catch us
SAYS r, y. Hurley, chairman OF the
shipping board. From now on we viii
lie overcoming the early losses they in
hlctcd on us
Final figures received in his offices
On allied and neutral losses for August
are 259.& gross tons while the CON-
%truct ION In American yards alone ex-
eeed 1880 tons showing a total of e6f.-
oSa tons. In addition to this great
total there is all the construction ef
the yards OF the United Kingdom TO
count as additional surplus over losses
and 10 set against the earlier losses Of
the war
However there liz great deficit of
shipping TO make up and II Will take
many months Of top-speed cozstruc-
tion to bring the ocean-going fleets
back to normal Figures 20 the ship
ping board estimate
Total losses, allied and neutral,
August, 1914, to Septem her l. 1873 ei-
4o$,sl3 deadwetght tons; construction,
allied and neutral. August, 1914, to
September l. 1918, leases deadwe 4 hit
tons.
Total enemy tonnage captured 70
January !. 1919, 3,795, zoe deadweight
tons
Excess OF losses over gains s.3s., oss
deadw eight tons
But IN figuring rho losses in ton
mage one must consider the normal in
crease which would have resulted had
the war not broken out and driven the
/ ships OF many nations from the seas
| On the basis Of the increase from 1895
, to 1914, the shipping board estimates
| that the increase in tonnage the war
| period had the war started would
have been l4.7oo.o 900 which must b
added TO the excess OF submarine losses
| over gains in construction which brings
the net deficit OF tonnage on account
OF the war up 10 the tremendous tota
of 1s,0sc,nss
America working under force draugh'
10 build new shipyards and new ships
to meet the submarine losses. has be
come the most tremendous producer
4 TIA wefld has-ever known.
/ And all our facilities built up &c
meet the wars needs will be COINS
! full blast ten years after the war. try
ing to make up the deficit in ships
caused by the war" says Mr.. Hurley
we will need every yard we have
and more We will need all the speed
4 we have developed and more We will
need all the quantity production and
its consequent savings in cost ant
more We are the premiere shipbuild.
ing country of the world and we will
need all We have learned about ship
! building to meet the world needs wher
the war is closed.
/ Let no man who owns n ship
/ ward be apprehensive about his
! business after the war He win be
/ buster than ever for many years.
He is only starting his business
/ now. He will reap his big returns
I later"
4 The shipping board now is ope-
i rating 2,lS5 ea-going vessels OF
i 9,511,s15 lightweight tons OF these
4 1924 of 6.596.4o5 lightweight tons
\ fly the American flag.
Since August 1917, more seagoins
tonnage has been launched from Amer
II lean shipyards than was ever launched
before in similar period from an,
country's yards. The total as Of Sep
TENDER /. fsfs-fifty vessels o
= 3,011,23S lightweight tons Is four times
the previous output of the country dur
ing any four years. The total SO IA
this year is eight times the total o
any one pre-war year.
Not only are we the greatest ship
building in history. but the American
merchant marine Ia expanding NOR
rapidly than any other in the world
Behind II America has more shipyards
more shipways, more shipworkers
more ships under construction and NOR
ships contracted than any other nation