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British Shipping Gets Setback Due to Continuance of Coal Strike IFFICULTIES have befallen D British shipbuilding and_ ship- ping through the continuance of the coal stoppage. On May 1, when the general strike was called, the brighter outlook which had been in- dicated in our previous article was suddenly and definitely checked. This is illustrated by the fact that the shipbuilding output on the Clyde for June was only 12 vessels aggregat- ing 18,521 tons, which figure, with one exception, is the lowest monthly output for 20 years. For the first five months of this year the total output of the Clyde shipyards was 68 vessels with 140,031 tons, against 92 vessels of 259,506 tons in the corre- sponding period of last year. Freight rates have strengthened, especially for homeward coal and grain, but the shipowners’ profits have not risen BY VINCENT DELPORT European Manager, Marine Review coal mines, more orders for vessels will be received and there will be re- newed activities in the yards. At present shipbuilders are experiencing steadily increasing difficulties in ob- taining supplies of ship plates and sections, and in some cases work is being curtailed by lack of materials. Some vessels which have been ordered three or four months ago have not yet been laid down, and even before the coal stoppage no great haste was shown to carry on new work. This can be explained, on the one hand, by the uncertainty of the times which may have caused shipbuilders to refrain from commencing new work until the coal problem is solved. On the other hand, it is believed that owners who have ordered new ships are not press- ing for delivery as they do not see much immediate prospects in shipping. ananceerecan: | Ne Bees DIAGRAM SHOWING FLUCTUATION accordingly and import and _ export ‘ business has seriously dwindled. Coal, which is one of Britain’s chief export- ing products, now is being imported, and between May 1 and June 24 the amount received from foreign sources was 585,000 tons, including 81,000 tons from the United States to whom a 300,000-ton contract is reported -as having just been awarded. New Shipbuilding Contracts ‘During the past two months in- teresting shipbuilding contracts have been placed, especially with the Clyde shipyards, and it is fully anticipated that when work is resumed in the Among the more important con- tracts recently obtained are two North Atlantic liners placed by the Canadi- an Pacific railway to be built by John Brown & Co., Ltd., at Clydebank and William Beardmore & Co., Ltd., at Dalmuir. These passenger steamers will be 585 feet in length, 75 feet in breadth and 27 feet in draft, with a gross tonnage of 18,000 tons each and 4000 tons cargo capacity; each will have accommodation for 1600 passengers. The Canadian Pacific rail- way also has placed an order for three 10,000;ton freighters with Barclay, Curle & Co., Whiteinch, William Denny & Co., Dumbarton, and Armstrong, 26 Brighter Outlook in Previous Forecast Has Not Materialized — Shipbuilding Production at Low Ebb—But Real Ac- tivity Indicated in New Contracts — Freight Rates Have Increased Whitworth & Co., Ltd., Wallsend-on- Tyne. Two more vessels of the same series are to be placed and it is ex- pected that at least one award will be given to Clyde shipyards. The total value of the two liners and five eargo vessels attains £3,000,000 ($14,- 550,000). Future Prospects Look Brighter Other contracts include three fruit- earrying vessels placed by Elders and Fyffes with Cammell Laird & Co., Ltd., Birkenhead; three fruit-carriers ranging from 3000 to 4000 tons placed by the United Fruit Co. of Boston with Workman, Clark & Co., Ltd., Belfast. The last named concern also has been awarded a contract for one high-class passenger liner of 530 feet in length. This order has been placed by Furness, Withy & Co. for their New York-Bermuda service. The liner OF OCEAN FREIGHT RATES FOR FOUR YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS will be supplied with internal combus- tion engines of the Fairfield-Sulzer type built by the Fairfield Shipbuild- ing and Engineering Co., Glasgow. The Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineer- ing Co., Dundee, has a contract for a 8000-ton passenger and fruit-carrying steamer for the Yeoward Line, Liver- pool, and another contract for a 580- ton cattle-carrying steamer for the Limerick Steamship Co. The Green- ock Dockyard Co. is to build an 8000- ton oil tank steamer, 410 feet in length, for Gow, Harrison & Co, Glasgow. The effects of the coal stoppage are not such as to induce vessels to turn