SHIPBUILDING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1898 



Lloyd's returns of shipbuilding show that, exclusive of warships, 761 

 vessels of 1,367,570 tons gross (viz., 744 steamers of 1,363,318 tons and 

 17 sailing vessels of 4,252 tons) were launched in the United Kingdom in 

 1898. The warships launched at both government and private yards 

 amounted to 41 of 191,555 tons displacement. The total output of the 

 United Kingdom for the year was, therefore, 802 vessels of 1,559,125 tons. 



The total output of the world during 1898 (exclusive of warships) ap- 

 pears to have been about 1,893,000 tons (1,779,000 steam, 114,000 sail). 

 Lloyd's Register Wreck Returns show that the tonnage of all nationalities 

 totally lost, broken up, etc., in the course of 12 months amounts to about 

 733,000 tons (328,000 steam, 405,000 sail). It will thus be seen that, while 

 the sailing tonnage of the world has been reduced by about 290,000 tons 

 during 1898, the steam tonnage has increased by about 1,450,000 tons. 

 The net increase of the world's mercantile tonnage is, therefore, 1,160,000 

 tons. 



The output of the year in the United Kingdom has surpassed all earlier 

 records. In some previous returns of this kind the figures for 1889 have 

 been taken for comparative purposes as a rough approximation to the 

 maximum productive capacity of the shipbuilding yards of the United 

 Kingdom. The fact that the output of that year has now been exceeded 

 by 158,000 tons as regards merchant vessels, and by upward of 150,000 

 tons as regards war vessels, indicates alike the remarkable character of 

 the year's work and the great resources of British shipbuilders. 



Comparing the present returns with those for the past two years it will 

 be seen that the tonnage launched in 1896 and 1897 was less by 208,000 

 tons and 415,000 tons respectively than that launched in 1898. Concur- 

 rently with this increased output of mercantile tonnage during 1898 the 

 1897 figures for war vessels have been doubled, and those for 1896 have 

 been exceeded by 28,000 tons. 



It is noteworthy, moreover, that the output of 1898 is, with inconsid- 

 erable exceptions, entirely composed of steam tonnage. ... Of the 

 total output 1,057,775 steam tons and 3,867 sailing tons, or 1,061,642 tons 

 in all (nearly 78 per cent), belong to ports in the United Kingdom. In 

 this connection it may be noted that the losses, etc., of United Kingdom 

 vessels during 12 months are shown by Lloyd's Register Wreck Returns 

 to average 276,000 tons (194,000 steam, 82,000 sail). Sales to foreign and 

 colonial owners for the 12 months ended October, 1898, reached the large 

 total of 563,000 tons (426,000 steam, 137,000 sail). On the other hand, 

 purchases from foreign and colonial ownei's during the same period 

 amounted to 104,000 tons (100,000 steam, 4,000 sail). The sailing ton- 

 nage of the United Kingdom would thus appear to have decreased by 

 about 211,000 tons, while the steam tonnage has increased by 538,000 

 tons. The net increase of United Kingdom tonnage during 1 8V)8 is there- 

 fore about 327,000 tons. This figure exceeds the similar estimates for 1895, 



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