The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1919-03-21

y
Compared With 2,2e3,s33 for 1873
Wonder Work Of the War Period
10 Found in Naval Engineering
Build Wonder Warship Capable Of
outrunning and outgunning Any
thing Afioat.
Some remarkable figures are now
available of war work in the British
shipbuilding yards. No records are
broken In regard to shipbuilding as
whole. In that respect the COM
prehensive statistics given only con-
arm knowledge of the slow progress
which is being made In replacing the
losses of the war period.
The total output of the United
Kingdom during 191S--nayal as well
as mercantile-is given as l.245 ves-
sells of 1,S76,411 tons and 4,349,260 i.
b. p. The tonnage is disappointingly
low nfter all that had been heard OF
speeding up processes, the inaugura-
ton and organization of government
programs OF construction, arrange
nents for supplying materials for the
yards and for obtaining skilled arti.
sans from the fighting services, ana
all Of the advantages In the way Of
expediting output which were to fol-
low the Introduction of standardized
and fabricated and assembled ships.
The fact Is, of course, that no OF.
aCal programs can be carried ont
without man.power. and The man
power Of tho shipyards of The United
Kingdom Is not capable Of maintaining
and Increasing the effective strength of
the British navy---as IL had to be main.
tafned so long as Germany was a
naval power which had to be reckoned
wtth---and al the same time OF IN
creastng mercantile output at the ex.
ceptional rate which would have been
necessary to cope with the German
submarine menace In its work In Its
most virulent form.
Far Behind 1888 Record.
The figures now published show that
tho work Of the United Kingdom
sMpyards in 1913 was far behind that
Of 1913. which was the record year
and also the last complete pre-war
year. In those twelve months the
total consisted of 1,474 vessels, of
2.2o8,e33 tons and 2,661, ,26O I. h. D.,
SO that while there was the extraordl-
nary increase over the previous United
Kingdoms best of some 100000 horse
power, there were decreases OF 800
In number Of vessels and OF 367, 1922
tons In measurement of vessels
launched.
The increase In horse power is eS-
pla1ued, OF course, by the relatively
higher power Of the machinery In
stalled In war vessels especially In
deeduyers, as compared with merchant
vessels, and by the fact that u very
large number OF destroyers were built |:
bnt the explanation OF the lower ton
mage IN to be found IN another direc-
ton altogether-ln the fact that IL
has. NOT been found possible TO divert
iran p9sl, work, and especially from
&4x 9*hth thauling and repairing, and
1et rlie reconstruction of those YES.
Hs8Asphich were salved after being tor
pedoed or mined. sufficient number
OF men and a sufficient amount OF ma
terials 10 enable work on new mer-
chant vessels 10 make satisfactory
progress.
For IL Is merchant vessels,-really
tramp steamers--which make up In
normal times the great bulk OF the
new British tonnage each year, and
although there were bnilt In 101S many
war" steamers of standard types tu
the order OF the shipping controller
the aggregate of these was low In
comparison with that of merchant yes
sells In good years before the war.
Few Liners Launched.
Practically no large first class liners
were launched This work was al
most wholly confined to the Belfast
and Clyde yards of Messrs. Harlant
ana Wolf. where five such vessels
were turned out. But of these thl
largest were only OF f7.221 tons. whlcl
is not large when II is compared will
the big Cunnrd. White STAR Hamburg
American, and other vessels which fig
ured IN shipbuildIng records iu pre-
war years. The contribution of line
tonnage TO the 1918 total was, indeed
o424Oct VI tOuHllhl
vessels and other special service mer
chant steamers there were remarkabl,
few.
The hopes of large output reste
solely on the standard shipbuildin
program. and the war did not las
long enough TO give Ii the chance 10
which Lord plrrie was preparing--th
chance OF proving that British shlr
building could and would rise 10 tn
height of the great occasion. Whethe
II would ultimately have done so
now only a matter OF academic 81
cussion. Certainly, so far as avail
able figures show, II did not seen
when the arinlstice was signed tn
II was likely to do so In the then nel
future.
The wonder work of the war perlo
10 to be found not In mercantile shi
building, but In naval; and above q
things IN naval engineering. Takil
the record Of the Clyde alone. we iii
that during the war 4Sl vessels