The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-03-21
TONS
1917 SEA LOSS
Geddes Says Ship Shrinkage
Is 3,50O,OOO Under What
Germans Claim.
NET LOSS 100000 TONS
Ships Destroyed and Output of
New Vessels to Be Re-
vcalcd Hereafter.
NET LOSS 100000 TONS

! ping. exclusive OF enemy ships. was O.
500 900 tons less at the end OF 1917 than
1t was at the beginning OF the war. the
House OF Commons was told to-day by
Sir Eric Geddes. First Lord Of the Ad-
mira!ty This includes ordinary marine
losses as we'll as those due to enemy
operations
J In the last twelve months the amour.
/ Of tonnage sunk was 100000, instead
/ Of the s.500.o00 claimed by Germany.
| The German report OF allied shipping
losses in January was an exaggeration
OF ll3 per cent. he said. He promised
that figures on the tonnage losses OF
! Great Britain and the output Of new
shipping would be published regularly
! hereafter
! He announced also that Lord rirr!e.
! Great Britains foremost shipbuilder.
had been appointed Control!er-General
! Of merchant sh!ppuilding; although not
a member Of the Admiralty. he will have
direct acees TO the Prime Minister and
! the War Cabinet.
| Britain's Net Loss 100000 Tons.
Since the intensified submarine war
began, q little more than year ago.
Great Britain's net loss OF shipping has
! been l,300. 900 tons: in other words her
losses have exceeded her output hy that
+ amount During tho last quarter OF
! 1917 the Allies we're averaging within
, 100000 tons a months OF making their
, losses good: they were then replacing
10 per cent. OF their lost tonnage. which
averaged 10000 tons monthly.
The total allied and neutral tonnage
T.. 4 q
due largely TO new construction by the
United States and the seizure Of Ger
man ships.
The First Lords figures on the worlds 3
tonnage were reached after deduc'ing
lake Graf; and a considerable amount of
email craft. His figures on the ton.
mage sunk included vessels dana sed and
ultimately abandoned. The figures on
losses included those due both to enemy
action and TO marine lsks.
The drop III the curve of merchant
tonnage losses was attributed by the
speaker mainly to the efficiency Of the
pa.rol and aut.-submarine craft and to
the Naluah CONVOY work OF other
vessels.
4 great effort in construction and re-
pair work had been made. the First
Lord pointed out. concurrently with the
enormous increase in the output of mu-
nlun.tion In 1917 was nearly double
that of the prev year and the out
put Of airplanes was two and one half
times as large. while arrangements we're
in progress during 1917 providing for
great Increases this year.
Repair Work Nastly Increased.
Tho output Of repair work. continued
SIR Eric. had increased in FebruarN, ,
| 1918. as compared With August, 1917,
hy so per cent. ten times moro naval
craft were docked tor repairs IN the
las. quarter o. last wear than in peace
, time. and. more than 1000 ships We're
dealt wifi in that period The men 80
employed nigh. have Produced n half
million tons of merchant shipping Il
they had been engaged in building.
The three main factors in the buildhUz Z
problem, said the speaker, vera first.
patrol and other craft to DESTROY sub
marines and safeguard ships at sea
, second, salvage and repair work third,
tho building Of new mcrchsn. ships
II would he simply providing sheep
for the butchers knke TO put all the
industry's energies into the building Of
new ships. he remarked.
. sir Eric admitted that the disappoint.
. ing results for the January and Feb
{ ruary building gave tustitiabl" cause for
anxiety. He denied the charge that the
Admiralty was an ungenerous god
mother to merchant shipping. The
naval service. he declared, often had
subordinated it's interests to merchant
I shipping.
The delay in the output for January
and February was largely due to repair.
and the conversion o. ships into o
, tankers. which class the Germans had
. set themselves to sink
At present. the First Lord went OF
= forty-seven shipyards. with a09 herths
were engaged on oceangoing ,nerchan
/, vessels The shpyard work was com
9 pletely disorganized during the first two
years OF the war from various causes
l. but nevertheless there had been al
/, enormous Accomplishment by the ship
!, building industry. The output for th'
X last quarter of 1917 was 100000 tons
as against $4,000 tons for the las
quarter OF 1916, while during the las
quarter Of 1918 IT had been only ~ ,oo
r tons,
= Work ON FIFTY ships Halted.
e When the controller of construction
n took over the shipyards there were Mt.
large merchant ships In various stage
A Of construction upon which work ha'
h been stopped for lack Of sufficient ma
i terial or Of labor. said the First Lord
and in many cases they we're congestin
tho shipyards,
1t Was we'll within the rsracity Of tn