Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-23


Holdings of all types Of vessels by
the two countries and the other mari
time nations June 30, 1914. 1919 and
1920 are given as follows Figures in
gross tons):
United states 8. 3es. 900 13,oo2.O 900 5000, 900
dom ...'.le,257, 900 10. sos, 900 IS, $40 900
tries .,...24, 4s4. 900 81. 272, 900 90 ,oa5. 900
World total 40. 0s0 900 5O.o19 900 81 314 900
These figures indicate that while the
United States has trebled its pre- war
holdings, Great Britain and all the
other maritime nations combined are
still about two and half million tons
below their 1914 total. During the past
year the American merchant marine
grew by nearly three million tons, while
the United Kingdoms gain was only
about half that. with the other nations
advancing about the same amount.
The reduction in the worlds sailing
tonnage since 1914 has been 641 900
tons, much smaller decrease than in
the previous six year periods. This
would seem to show that the general
shortage of tonnage has to some extent
given new life to the construction of
sailing vessels.
The United States is the only coun =
try which has increased its volume of
sailing tonnage since the beginning OF
the war. and now owns Is per cent OF
the worlds total. The proportion OF
sailing vessels in the worlds tonnage is
s per cent in 1914 and 22 per cent in
1902.
Increase i'm United States Tonnage
According to the new Register Book
there are now 50S2 sailing vessels OF
3.400 900 tons and 26,513 steamers of
-, 3,005, 900 tons. making world total
of 81 800 vessels of 57,314 900 tons.
Apart from Germany and Austria, the
United Kingdom and Greece are the
only nations which show any considpra =
bic reduction in the steam tonnage now
owned aS compared with 1914. Den
mark and Sweden show minor losses
and Norway a small gain. Most of the
other countries have increased in ton
nag" holdings, some to n very conSid =
cradle extent.
The seagoing tonnage of the United
States has increased by nearly l0.40O. e
900 tons. an advance of over 800 per
cent on the 1914 figures. The other
countries in which the largest increases
are recorded are: Japan, 1,2SS 900
tons France. 1 ,041 900 tons, and Italy
63S, 900 tons. AS in the case of the
United Kingdom, the figures for France
and Italy include considerable amount
of ex enemy tonnage Professionally allo-
Gated to those countries.
How the maritime position of Ger
many has changed is shown concluSively
by the figures. While in 1A14 Germany
occupied. after the United Kingdom.
first place. with more than 5000 O0O
tons of merchant steamers, only 40 900
tons are now recorded in the Register
Book as German. everything else hav
ing been either captured, rcquisitioncd,
sunk or alloCatcd to the Allies in ac-
rordance with the peace treaty.
The relative positions of some other
countries has also altered to a large OK =
tent. In 1914 the United Kingdom
owned 41.6 per cent Of the world :
steam tonnage, while the present figure
is 33.6 per cent. Norway, which oc
cupied the fourth place, is now seventh
while Japan, which was sixth, is now
third.
Excluding vessels trading on tho
Great Lakes (about 2,30O 900 tonSD
the United Kingdom percentage of the
worlds sPagoiug steam tonnage has de
creased from 1870 in 1911 to 351 in
1920; while the proportion Of the
United States, which was IL per cent
six years ago, has now reached II pei
cent.
The Register Book shows that nearly
100 900 tons of shipping are actually
clasScd or about to be ClaSScd by
Lloyds, and that the existing vessel,
which were formerly classcd tota
about $3.50, 900 tons.
That the recognition of the value OF
classification is world wide is shown BY
tho fact that of the more than - 900.
600 tons Of vessels actually appcarin2
as classed III the new book II 600. .OO(
tons are of vessels owned outside U
Great Britain. OF the total steel an,
iron merchant tonnage now in cXistrnC,
about 81 per cent has been built under
the survey of LlOyd'S Register. During
the calendar year 1919 the new vessel
clasSed by LlOyd's aggregated 4, ,2S3 ,O0C
tons, of which nearly 1900, 900 wcr,
built in the United States.