New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-26
U. S. Ship Cain
Fora Year Is
100000 Tons
Increase for This Country
Almost as Much as That
of All Other Maritime
Nations Put Together
Decline in Wooden Ships

American Steel Vessels Now
81 Per Cent of Fleet;
Britain, 81 Per Cent
Although world shipping or all types
is now 1925, 900 gross tons more than
at the outbreak of the war, nearly 80
per cent of this gain was made during
last. The remarkable growth of mer-
chant tonnage during the year recent
ly ended, is shown by an analysis Of
the registered holdings of the various
maritime nations as given in the new
edition of the Register Book issued Sy
Lloyd's Register of Shipping
This country's share of the gain was
almost as great as that of Great
Britain and all other countries COM
bined, or practically so per cent of
the worlds total, the increase from
July /, 1919, to July 1, 1920. being
divided as follows, in round figures
United States 5000 900
United Kingdom. ....... ......... $500. 900
Other countries. ...... !. ......... 1000, 900
Total increase. 6.4oO. 900
AS a result of the last years gains
American shipping now totals 16,O49,-
600 gross tons; British, 1880, 900 tons,
and that of other countries 22,935, 900
tons, making an aggregate for the world
of b7,314,000 tons
Although both the United States and
the United Kingdom snow a decrease
in their holdings of wooden steamers,
as compared with a year ago, as shown
by Lloyd's figures, the world total in
creased about 10 per cent, due to the
gain in this class of tonnage made by
n+h ,4,,,D
still has considerably more wooden
steam tonnage than The rest of the
world combined, however, although the
American excess has been largely re-
duccd and this country now leads by
only 225,OOO tons, in comparison with
its lead of nearly 900 tons on July
i, 1919. Our present holdings of wooden
steamers represent 1.6 per cent of our
total trade fleet. in comparison with
same period the British proportion has
been reduced from less than one-half
Of l per cent Of the total British ship
ing to two-tenths of l per cent. Other
countries, however, have advanced
from "a per cent to 40 per cent The
holdings of wooden steamers in the two
years have been as follows Figures in
gross tons)
oihers ..: $685. $3.50 1859 7aSSS
Totals ............ 2,o27,0oo 2.24a.ooo
The small holdings Of wooden steam
ers by the British is due to the fact
that the United Kingdom constructed
practically none of this type Of vessels
during the war and has not been a pur-
chaser Of them since Sales by this
country to other countries abroad, how
ever, are partly responsible for the in
crease shown in foreign holdings
Lloyd's returns relative to steel
holding to their policy of having the
great bulk of their ocean fleet com
posed of this type of tonnage, no less
than 97.i per cent Of the shipping of
the United Kingdom now being of this
class, as compared with 96.4 on July |,
1919, In the same period the other
foreign maritime nations have reduced
their holdings OF steel steamers slight
~ in proportion to their total of ship
ping of all kinds, the figure now stand
ing at S2.5 per cent. as compared with
1913 per cent a year ago. Their steel
steam tonnage in the same time, how
ever, has increased over a million gross
tons in volume. The United States has
gained both in volume and percentage,
but its proportion is still less than
either Great Britain's or that of the
other foreign countries, standing at
SIT per cent, as against 1872 per cent
last year. The holdings of steel steam
crs in the two years have been as fol-
lows Gin gross tons):
American .... 1o.s l9ls 1s.l 1872 900
British .............. l5.964ooo l7,7ss, 900
Others .............. l7,624ooo 1888, 900
Totals . AZ 9S5 600 49S49 900
1t is noticeable. however, that the
American gain was about 2,735, 900
tons, compared with about 1,835,00O
tons for Great Britain and about 1876
600 tons for other.countries, or not far
from the combined total gain of the
rest of the world.
Normal Expansion Not Made
Lloyds Register has stated that al
though the worlds steel steam tonnage
is considerably greater than the pre-
war total to-day, it is still about
100000 gross tons short of what it
would have been if the war had not
interfered with the normal year-by-
year expansion of shipping. In in
dicating how this declaration that the
worlds tonnage is still subnormal is
nearly 100000 tons of the almost
$4,000 900 tons of steamers are steel
vessels and that therefore only steel
tonnage is taken into account as being
the most representative.
Eliminating iron and wood tonnage
and all vessels trading on the Great
Lakes, The Register estimates that the
ratio of increase during the period
1914'20 would have been about four
fifths of the average ratio of increase
which took place during the last six
L
mate of the tonnage of seagoing steel
steamers which would now be in ex-
istence if there had been no war is put
as follows:
1-r,+oa 1<,nsson ., Tens ,on ~
United States ........."S....... Ass 'oo0
S,srinehy ......-....... 6,4IS 900
Total observation-disclosures. 5l,l03, 900
To obtain figures regarding the