The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-03-19
The Ship Building Situation.

In a few months the United States
| plan. Present tokens are all to the
effect that the private yards when
freed from government restrictions will
be abundanely able to meet every de-
mand that may be made upon them.
According to a statement just issued
by the Atlantic Coast Shipbuilders' as.
ISOLATION there are now under construc-
ton for private enterprise in the ship,
yards of the United States, entirely
aside from the tonnage under construc.
tion for the shipping board 1853 steel
vessels aggregating l,256,573 gross
tons.
The figure for present construction
equals the entire American output Of
shipping for 1914, 1915 and 1916 com.
bined; it makes 100000 gross tons
more than the production for 1917;
and ii may be contrasted with total
of but 1855 tons of all types OF yes.
sells building in the United States at
the time the war began. This figure
equals the combined British output for
1915 and 1916 and is about 100000
tons above the British total for 1917;
it falls only little below the British
production for 1918, and il amounts to
about three fourths Of the output in
the United Kingdom in 1919. More
over. this total exceeds the whole
worlds production Of ships in 1915,
and Is greater than the entire sea-
going tonnage Of the United States
at the beginning of the war.
The mcA significant item in the sit
uation, hSever, is this, that the vol
ume of new orders continues to re-
place the gaps made by the compile
ton. cancellation and suspension of
shipping board contracts. With the
board in possession OF about 10000
900 lightweight tons Of vessels, the
great bulk of them being cargo car
riers, the sale of which at low rates
is being urged by Congress, the in
crease in private orders for private
freighters is remarkable develop
ment. II NAV be taken to indicate
that private enterprise, rather than
take the chance of being able to sup
ply its needs by waiting to select from
a comparatively few types of ready |
maze Snlpst pitltiS 10 nave hputi u /
ships built TO its own designs with /
the assurance that they will be con
structed for the particular service to
which they are to be put. Also inter
esting is the fact that to-day tanker |
tonnage, which a month ago for the |
first time exceeded the volume of I
freighter tonnage being built, has gone
back to second place. These are now
620, 900 gross tons of freighters build
ing and 5Ss,O00 tons Of tankers.
These conditions prove the faith of
the American shipbuilder in his abili
ty TO find a market for his output. The
freighter and tanker tonnage now UNI
der way makes so vessels Of more than
10000 tons; the January totals for
builders account We're 40 vessels Of
$4,000 tons. And the American yards
IRE still almost entirely dependent
upon domestic business The last
month recorded only one new foreign
contract. OF the million and quar-
Ter tons now building only about l5,-
100 is TO foreign order The distribu
ion among the various shipyards is
mother encouraging feature of the sit
iation Fifty yards are now engaged ,
n construction for private account, a.
with 43 in January, 3s in
December. 81 in November and % in
Herald.