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Chapman Interests Likely To Retain U. S. Lines Definite favorable action on the re- vised plan for the reorganization of the United States line, as submitted by Paul W. Chapman on Aug. 18, is ex- pected at the regular weekly meeting of the United States shipping board in Washington on Aug. 26. Arrangements have been made for attendance at the meeting by all seven members of the board, several of whom were away from Washington. Chairman T. V. O’Connor, following a conference with President Hoover at the White House on Aug. 20, said that he had laid be- fore the President the United States lines’ situation, including negotiations covering the reorganization of the present operating company. It is be- lieved that the President has no ob- jection to the board’s acceptance of the plan submitted by Mr. Chapman. The offer made by Paul W. Chapman and his associates, R. Stanley Dollar, president of the Dollar lines, and Ken- neth D. Dawson, head of the States Steamship Co., backed financially by Herbert Fleischhacker, San Francisco banker, was to pay the government $3,170,900 for its equity in the United States lines providing the shipping board resumes ownership of the LEVIA- THAN with the understanding that the ship be returned to the new company which, at its own expense, would un- dertake to run the vessel for at least five trips a year. an, The International Mercantile Ma- rine interests bid $3,000,000 for the United States lines and offered to take title to the LEVIATHAN, flagship of the fleet, and operate her for seven trips a year. The difference between the two propositions regarding the LEVIATHAN, it is understood, is reconciled in the revised plan submitted to the shipping ’ board by the Chapman interests, al- though the details of the revised plan have been withheld pending its con- sideration by the shipping board. Shipping in Port of New York Continues to Lead Items developed through the bureau of commerce of the Port of New York Authority show that the shipping in- dustry contributes $225,000,000 a year © to the prosperity of the port of New York. This sum goes to operators of port facilities for such purposes as berth- ing, towing, piloting, fueling, provi- sioning and repairing of ocean-going ships. No allowance is made in this total for the sums expended by pas- sengers and for freight brought and taken out of the steamships or for va- rious other intangibles. Despite curtailed schedules, the port of New York still maintains its lead with at least one sailing per week to every foreign port of importance. On one Saturday early this summer, sail- ings approached a hundred. In 1929 over 20,000,000 short tons of coal were loaded on vessels at New York. What the British Are Doing in Shipbuilding HE latest returns from the Scot- tish shipyards show that only one small contract was booked in the last month and the tonnage launched on the Clyde was little more than half of the normal output for July. There are now very few vessels nearing the launching stage and by the end of the autumn the Cunarder at Clydebank will be the only ship of importance left on the Clyde stocks. The contract placed during the month is a 350-ton ferry steamer which Harland & Wolff of Govan are to build for the Wallasey council. : + * Bd : HE largest vessel built on the Tees, the VESTFOLD has successfully completed her trials and a speed has been claimed considerably in excess of the contract. It has been built by the Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. Specially designed for the whaling service at a port in Norway she is one of the largest vessels ever con- structed for the carriage of oil and about 8000 tons of steel made in the local steelworks is incorporated in her structure. She is 550 feet long with a maximum deadweight of about 22,600 tons. * ba VERY welcome = shipbuilding A order has been placed in west Hartlepool where not a single berth in the shipyards has been occupied for some months. W. Gray & Co. Ltd. have now received a contract from Sir Robert Rockner & Co. Ltd. 36 for a 9000-ton cargo steamer for the St. Lawrence river trade. When Rockner & Co. Ltd. acquired in April two steamers from the Domin- ion Shipping Co., Sydney, Novia Scotia which are engaged in the St. Lawrence coal and ore trade a con- dition of the purchase was that a third steamer should be built for the same trade and Rockner & Co. undertook that responsibility. WAN HUNTER & WIGHAM RICHARDSON LTD. announce the receipt of an order from foreign owners for a fast passenger steamer of about 5000 tons gross. The ves- sel is to be built in their Neptune yard, Walker-on-Tyne. % * * WAN HUNTER & WIGHAM RICHARDSON LTD. of Wallsend- on-Tyne have finished the construc- tion of the great floating dock which marks the jubilee of the harbor board of Wellington, New Zealand. The dock will be towed in one piece over a voyage of 13,500 miles which will be the longest tow on record and is expected to last about seven months. The route will be by Gibraltar, the Suez canal Indian Ocean, Malacca Strait, the Dutch East Indies and Torres Strait be- tween New Guinea and Queensland. NOTHER long tow is involved in the transport of a floating crane built by the Furness Shipbuild- ing Co. Ltd. at Haverton Hill on MARINE REVIEw—September, 1931 Tees which is destined for the South African railways and harbor admin- istration. The vessel which was launched in a completed condition with the exception of the jib is a nonpropelling type pontoon with a length of 160 feet, beam 55 feet, depth 12 feet and is built to Lloyds A. class crane pontoon for harbor service under special service. The pontoon is destined to carry a 60- ton electrically operated crane and the shell plating has been increased above the classification requirement to resist the heavy corrosive action of South African waters. The ship- builders have already completed sev- eral large pontoons including that for the 250-ton crane now operating in Southampton Harbor. * ES % ATIONAL SHIPBUILDERS SE- - CURITY LTD. announce that eight shipyards on the northeast coast with a total of 39 berths and a maximum annual output capacity of 276,000 tons are being purchased by the company for scrapping. It is believed that negotiations are pro- ceeding for the purchase and dis- mantling of several more shipyards on the Clyde, all establishments of moderate size. Until recently the yards dismantled by this concern have been all on the Clyde where three important establishments have — been taken over and closed down thus reducing the number of build- ing berths on the river by over a score.