27 JULY 1918, Page 2

The Admiralty return for June shows that the total losses

of merchant tonnage from all causes were the smallest recorded for an3r_month since September, 1916. Of British shipping 161,062 tons were sunk, and of Allied and neutral shipping 114,567 tons. The to al for the past quarter was 946,578 tons, as compared with 2,236,934 for the quarter ending with June, 1917. Yet more ships entered and cleared from British ports last quarter than in either of the two preceding quarters. It may be added that the output of our shipyards in June, 134,159 tons, was less than the tonnage lost. Until we can do more than replace every ship sunk by a new vessel, the position will be unsatisfactory.