'The Council of the Mercantile Marine Service Association, in their eightieth annual report, state that the most valuable factors in the restoration of British shipping, next to the improvement of world' trade, have been the ce-operation between all British owners and the introduction of something approaching scientific planning. The need for a Ministry of Marine is emphasized, and it is hoped that Merchant Navy Week. which is to be held at Southampton in July, will become an annual event znd be extended to other ports The report refers to the continuance of ce-operation and mutual assistance between the Government and shipowners and among shipowners themselves and states that the council consider that the limit of this cooperation has by no means been reached, that further improvements in the conditions of recruitment and employment of officers are necessary, and that without these the maximum advantage to the industry cannot be realized. The future demands the removal of dissension opposition, suspicion, and division among officers and those who represent them. This can be accomplished by the solid membership of all officers and by the joining together of the two organizations which serve their interests.
The council are glad to note that the decline in the tonnage of British shipping registered in the United Kingdom has been arrested. There is, however, the disquieting feature that this has been accompanied by e dependence of a greater proportion of British shipping on foreign oil. In times of peace, this may not appear of great importance, but the council fear that if war ever does come this dependence will constitute a major problem which, if not solved. might seriously affect Britain's hopes of emerging victorious. Notwithstanding this welcome increase in British shipping, foreign shipping continues to acquire the major share of the direct foreign trade, while in the trade between British possessions and foreign countries, and also between foreign countries, British shipping is gradually being displaced by foreign and subsidized shipping.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.