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What the British Are Doing Short Surveys of Important Activities in Maritime Centers of Island Empire E. MOSS & CO., Liverpool in H their July Circular state: “We believe the turning point must be in sight. The orders secured by shipbuilders during the six months un- der review are almost negligible, and totally insufficient to keep their yards going; yet they are seizing every op- portunity to economize in all directions with a view to reduction of costs. It is impossible under present conditions of labor for these costs to be much, if any, further reduced, and our hope must now be that the government will help industry by affording relief in the form of lower taxation, and so en- courage the export trade, which is the keynote to recovery. Labor must like- wise do its share by giving a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. The freight market, whether for cargo boats or oil tank tonnage, is so bad at present that many ships are laid up, and more must follow. Yet, with all this depression, we are still faced with oil fuel bunkers at 75s per ton delivered U. K., as against coal bunk- ers at 18s or even less.” +: % EG HE Finance committee on_ the Leith Dock commission, Scotland, states that the tonnage of shipping entering the port last year was 2,501,- 898 tons, an increase of 73,523 tons, During the year 1,885,130 tons of coal were shipped, a decrease of 111,111 tons. In connection with the construc- tion of the new quay well at the outer harbor a sum of £24,372 was spent. The present trade of the port is one million tons less than in 1913-14. * o* * IBBY BROTHERS & CO., Liver- pool have placed with the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd., Glasgow, an order for a twin screw motorship of about 7500 tons gross. The vessel which is intended for cargo. services between London, Liverpool, Colombo and Rangoon, will be some- what similar in design to several which have been built within recent years for the same owners by Harland & Wolff Ltd. of Belfast, who have constructed all the Bibby line vessels for a con- siderable time back. The propelling machinery will consist of twin sets of Fairfield-Sulzer internal combustion engines similar to those constructed by the firm for the Houlder liner Upwey Grange, lately launched, and to those of the Union Steamship Co. of New Zealand’s quadruple screw liner Aorangi. In the case of the new Bibby liner, however, the brake horse power on each shaft will be increased from 3,200 to 4,000—not by any alter- ations in design, but by fitting addi- tional cylinders to each shaft. * * & f See Coaster Construction Company, Ltd., Montrose have obtained from the Western Australian government state shipping service an order for a diesel propelled passenger and cargo vessel 200 feet in length. The ma- chinery will consist of a single screw diesel engine, and the auxiliaries will be electrically operated by current gen- erated by a diesel engine. Accom- modation will be provided for 36 pas- sengers. The Coaster Construction Co. have completed a bridge over the rail- way at Edgehill and are proceeding with the erection of a suspension ‘bridge over the North Esk near Mill- dens House. This work has provided employment in the scarcity of ship- building contracts. * * * HE Manchester Commerce, a single screw steamer, the first of two ves- sels being built to the order of Man- chester Liners Ltd., of Manchester, for their North Atlantic and Canadian service by the Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. of Haverton Hill-on-Tees has carried out successful steam trials in the Tees Bay, and on the Whitley measured mile. The Manchester Com- merce is a first class cargo vessel, built to Lloyd’s highest class, being of the two deck and shelter deck type with bridge and top gallent fore- castle, and specially constructed to combat the heavy North Atlantic weather and to resist ice. The prin- cipal dimensions are: length 436 feet, beam 56 feet 9 inches, depth, 38 feet 6 inches, and a deadweight of about 8000 tons is carried on a moderate draught. The adoption of the build- er’s multiple drilling system has been a feature of the construction, and the hold. and ’tween decks have _ been specially arranged clear of obstruction 314 to allow for the safe and rapid han- dling of cargo. A duct keel is fitted forward of the boiler room to give ac- cess to the various pipes, even when holds are full of cargo. Steel grain divisions and wood shifting boards in way of hatches are provided in the holds and the lower ’tween decks are fitted out for the transportation of 500 head of fat cattle. ORD KYLSANT, speaking at the luncheon following the launch of the ASTURIAS at Belfast on July 7 said the White Star line had placed an order with Harland & Wolff for a large passenger and cargo liner, and the Union Castle line of which he was chairman, had placed an order with Workman, Clark & Co. for an inter- mediate passenger liner. He added that signs were not wanting that better days lay ahead for the ship- building trade. On the question of costs, the shipyard workers had co- operated by responding to the calls made upon them: * *k x HE passenger motor liner ASTURI- AS, 22,000 tons, built for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., the largest and most powerful motor-vessel in the world, was launched by Messrs.- Har- land and Wolff at Belfast on July 7. The new vessel, which will be en- gaged in South American trade, is 655 feet long by 78 feet broad, and ac- commodation is provided for 1740 pas- sengers and the crew. The four-cycle double acting motors are the largest diesel engines ever constructed. ok * * [R GEORGE HUNTER, chairman of Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd., Wallsend on Tyne speaking at the launch of a 5000-ton steamer built for the Great Lakes Transportation Co. Ltd., Canada said the vessel was unique as it was 380 feet long, while the lock on the lakes were only 260 feet. They had had to build two ends of the ship and pre- pare 144 feet of material, which would be put into the ship in dry dock in Canada. Shipbuilding pros- pects were very bad. They had no vessels to take the place of those launched. Everyone must do his best