The Naval Correspondent of the Times in Monday's paper discussed
the dearth of mercantile vessels. It is needless to point out how much depends upon maintaining the largest possible number of merchant vessels in active use. The food supply, the price of food, the stability of our finances, together with the financing of the whole war, depend upon a prosperous commerce. A very large number of merchant ships—probably thirty per cent., and the number grows—are being used for purely naval and military purposes. At the beginning of the war of course all enemy ships ceased to carry for us, and the war conditions have since prevented any appreciable addition to our merchant navy. We also read of congestion at the docks through insufficiency of labour or inadequate organiza- tion. When ships are scarce not a moment of their time should be wasted. All this leads us back to the conclusions of Mr. Alfred Booth which we published on December 11th. Is a nation really in earnest which, with all the scarcity of shipping and the congestion at the docks, goes on importing thousands of tons of barley a week for brewing and distilling Z And this leaves out of account the transport required for the home- grown materials, the thirty-six thousand tons of coal hewn every week for the breweries and distilleries, and the labour actually employed in those establishments. The time is rapidly approaching when we shall have to choose between alcohol and victory.
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