New-York tribune., 1919-10-08
w 7ORLD supremacy in ship production,
" won by the United States during


the war, is rapidly melting away,
and by the end of the year Great Britain
may have regained the leadership she held
unchalenged for nearly sixty years.
At the same time that the United States
Shipping Board is issuing statements that
America is building more merchant tom
mage than all the rest of the world put
together. it is giving out official records
that not only prove the fasty of this
claim, but show that the peak of produc-
tion has been definitely passed unless there
is an unexpected extension of the boards
construction programme.
Unless the United States adopts prompt
ard effective measures to meet the existing
crisis all the maritime advantages won
through the war are in danger of loss, and
the great organization created for the
production and operation of shipping under
the American flag may speedily dwindle to
the almost infnitcsimal pre-war dimensions.
Supremacy of the so far as America
is concerned must remain an unganed and
Imaginable goal if present conditions
not radically altered. And the remedy will
not be easy to find.
Our Brief Supremacy y
In 1914, just before the outbreak Of the
war, Great Britain had under construction
nearly twelve tons of shipping for every
one being built in American yards. At
the period of the armistce, little moro
than four years later, the United States
was building almost two tons to Brtain's
one.
For the year 1914 the British output Of
tonnage was over eight times that Of
America and almost SO per cent greater than
that of all other nations combined, the
United States included. For 1918 the
American production was more than double
the British and 25 per cent above that of
all other countries together, Great Britain
included
These are only a few of the illustrations
that might be employed to show how
mistakably the worlds shipbuilding suprem-
acy passed from England to America dur
ing the war. AT the time of the armistice
this country had under construction $780,
900 gross tons to Britan's ,74600XA lead
Of ,636 900 tons. At the end of March last
the American figure was Abs, 600, the Brit
ish 2,254,O 900, extending the American lead
to 1893 900. Furthermore, in the first six
months of this year the United States built
over 100000 tons, England only slightly
more than 900 Our production from
January ! to July / was four times greater
than Brtains for the same period and
half as large again as her output for the
entire year of 1918.
4 Speedy Loss
To-day however, the United States is
threatened with speedy loss of its
premacy. Within very short time Great
Britain may have regained it's lost laurels
and the palm Of production may have
crossed the ocean for the second time since
the beginning Of the American ship
yards have passed the peak of production
and are on the descending scale while Brit
ism yards are on the ascent, with every
prospect of continued progress. No one
who will take the pains to analyZe thor
oughly the latest available records of world
shipbuildng conditions can fail to note the
Indications
The government Of the United States, as
represented by the Shipping Board, seems
to have proceeded and still to be proceeding
on the theory that the momentum of in
tensified production would vest American
shipbuiding with the quality of perpetual
motion. Nor does the belief seem to be
confined to the government by any means.
For instance, the Phiadep phia Board Of
Trade announced gravely in recent state
ment that that city would be established
this year as the shipbuilding centre of the
world. displacing the Clyde. If there is any