The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-02-02
Belief of Industry in Future of
Merchant Marine Shown
by New Contracts.
NO TONNAGE DECREASE
Completion of Shipping Board
Contracts Has Been Follow
ed by Private Orders.

steamers. Independent of those being
built for the shipping board, are un-
der construction in the shipyards of
the United States" said Frank G.
Crenshaw of the Pensacola Shipbuild-
ing Co, yesterday.
THE belief of American industry in
the future or the American merchant
marine If operated on business prin-
clples free of government control is
reflected in this volume of orders all
for private account" he continues.
The tonnage actually building to the
order of private enterprise today is
almost equal in volume to the entire
sea going shipping of the country at
the outbreak of the great war. and IL
is seven times as great as the ship con-
struction of all types under way in
this country at the beginning of hos
tilities.
For months past shipbuilding to
government order has been steadily
dwindling and these months have
been crucial ones for the American
shlpyards. With the chaotic condition
of foreign exchange rendering il prac
tIcally impossible to secure orders
from foreign sources, American yards
have faced the necessity of obtaining
contracts from private enterprise at
nome or ceasing to operate as shin
ping board orders were completed, cam
celled or suspended. And the serious
ness of the situation was accumulated
by the fact that the government had
upon its hands millions of tons of
| completed vessels for which it was
seeking purchasers on easy terns-an
additional element of competition for
the shipyards to face.
ETTn6ar>
interesting to note that the private
construction of steel steamers now mn
der way is practically equal to the
full decrease in the work OF a similar
| type for the shipping board In other
words, the yards so far have been able
| 10 replace with private orders the
ishrlnkage caused by the completion OF
government steel contracts and if this
! can be kept up the future of Amerf-
can shipbuilding on it's present basis
| is assured. We have no question as
to our ability to sign contracts when
our present construction is completed
summaries prepared from the Off
: cial records of the American Bureau
of Shipping and Lloyd's Register. the
I leading classification societies, show
continued progress in the amount to
| tonnage being built. In the past month
the gain has amounted to nearly IT'S, 900
gross tons and since last September
to more than 625,000 tons.
Marked demand for tanker tonnage.
consequent upon the rapidly growing
conversion from coal to oil fuel both
here and abroad, is the feature of the
returns. In October last the excess of
| freighters over tankers in course of
construction for private account in
American yards was $4,000 gross tons,
but today tanker tonnage leads.
while the freighter tonnage being
built for the shipping board is at pres
ent considerably in excess - that on
the ways for private account, the re-
verse is the case in relation to tank
| ers, the total under construction for
the Government being about 275.00O
gross tons, as compared with 476,000
| tons building to private order.
STANDARD Oil companies still lead
| in the amount of this type of tonnage
| being built, but more than $4,000
| tons of the 476.000 tons total is for
other concerns.
TN the amount of tonnage being con-
structed the Federal Shipbuilding COM
pany~ leads the way with 35 vessels of
20S,2 gross tons, composed of 26
freighters aggregating 1925 tons. 5
tankers totaling $4,000 tons and bar
ges of 1000 tons total. The Bethlehem
Shipbuilding Corporation follows with
| "a vessels, of 1s4.SSS tons. of which %
are tankers of an aggregate of IT,
i73s tons one an ore-ca mier of 1850
| tons. The Sun Shipbuilding company
| has under way 13 tankers of 91.017
\ tons and freighter of 200 tons.
"The largest amount of freighter
/ tonnage being built for one concern
consists of 20 vessels aggregating 12o.-
/ 600 tons, for the United States Steel
Corporation
F.! Especially gratifying is the con-
finued increase in the number of yards
engaged on private contracts. In Oc-
tober these totaled 27. in November 81.
and in December 38. For January the
figure rose TO, 43.
| Confidence of American shipbuild-
ers that there will be a market for
American steel tonnage well beyond
| present demands is most strikingly
shown in the way in which builders
+, have been taking over for their own
account contracts cancelled by the gov
erument About 175000 gross tons
\ OF vessels are now being built In this
way seven yards having taken UP con-
tracts for 80 freighters totaling 142,l5s
/ tons and three yards continuing work
/ on 5 tankers aggregating $4,000 tons
"Of the iS8 vessels or various types
under construction today only one is
building for foreign account. so that
American shipbuilding is practically
La 100 percent American-supported In
dustry Foreign shipowners however.
Fare anxious to place orders in this
tcountry and any marked betterment in
| the exchange situation should be fol-
! lowed BY the booking of contracts for
! a large volume Of tonnage for EuropeaR
countries.