Developed into the Sixth Greatest in the World Not only the United States, but Canada as well is developing an independent merchant marine. The one to the north of us has been growing with extraordinary rapidity in the last five years. In November the tonnage of ships flying the Canadian flag was exceeded by only seven other nations, and it is estimated that in the early months of this year her merchant marine will have become the sixth greatest in the world. The demands of war gave the ship-building industry in Canada, as in the United States, the impulse which led to the production during the years of belligerency of 900 craft of all kinds, including 24 steel freighters, 38 submarines, and 66 armed trawlers, by rds which formerly had an insignificant capacity. By the time the 90 ships, valued at $70,000,000, which the Imperial Munitions Board had ordered in 1917, were nearing completion, a strong sentiment for a large merchant marine was active in Canada. In 1919, the 17 shipyards scattered along' the coasts and waterways of the Dominion completed 489 ships of 342,413 gross tons, more than half of which were retained under Canadian registry. This, of course, looks small compared with existing British and American tonnage, but it is a creditable showing and one which is likely to grow larger.—World's Work."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.