WATER TRANSPORTATION 5317 
Idle Tonnage Declines. 
The increase in total world tonnage resulting from the heavy 
American construction during the war, together with the decrease in 
the volume of international trade, brought it about that a considerable 
fraction of the shipping has been idle during the postwar years, This 
situation has greatly improved as world trade has recovered. 
Idle steam shipping in the ports of the world declined only 46,000 
tons during 1925, as compared with a decline of approximately 
1,000,000 in 1924. The United States idle tonnage declined only a 
nominal amount in both 1924 and 1925; it appears that the usable 
surplus now has been practically absorbed and extensive employment 
of the American tonnage now idle seems improbable. The idle ton- 
nage of American privately owned ships increased about 40,000 tons. 
During 1925 idle shipping decreased greatly in France and Australia, 
and materially in United Kingdom. Italy, the Netherlands, and 
Greece showed marked increases. Norway, one of the principal 
maritime countries, shows only 22,000 gross tons idle. 
Table 25.—Idle Shipping of Principal Maritime Countries 
[Gross tons] 
Country 
Total 
[dle In home country; 
United States, total... ocoeooo ____ 
Shipping Board... ..._...__..__ 
Shipping Board tankers_______._. 
Other Government owned......._. 
Privatelv owned. __________ 
United Kingdom ooo... _. 
BIANCO oe cece + emcee ema 
5 
NOLHOTIANIAN cw ww ire www sips mmm 
MOT TIRY cms asim in iets rm mmm rr 
BHO unis mnminskrn inane 
Greece... oococeomi ao. 
Japan. .oeooo.o ela LL. 
Belgitim. oes eo 
Denmark. o.oooooveen ol] 
I pve RE —— 
Australia... TTT 
(dle in foreign countries... __.._.________.__ 
Tan. 1, 1092 
10. 834 000 
5, 309, 000 
{, 314, 000 
914. 000 
CTe1Tonn 
4 769, 000 
+085, 000 
585, 000 | 
327, 000 
07, 000 
04, 000 
70, 000 
20, 000 
35,000 
61, 000 
3,000 
J 
wi ann 
Jan. 1, 1923 | Jan. 1, 1024 
Jan.1,1925 | an. 1, 1026 
9,198,000 | 6.888.000 | 5 881 000 
5, 845, 000 
5,828, 000 
4,411,000 
214, 000 
C03 ann” 
4,271, 000 
3, 564, 000 
163, 000 
3,000 
241. 000 
£, 225, 000 
x. 664, 000 
125, 000 
17, 000 
1 O00 
4, 120, 000 
3, 518, 000 
134, 000 
10, 000 
158 000 
, 010, 000 
730, J00 
479, 000 
330, 000 
53,000 
22, 000 
76, 000 
“9, 000 
10, 000 
“7,000 
0, 000 
.06, 000 
195. 000 
909, 000 
450, 000 
427, 000 
235, 000 
50 000 
705, 000 
311, 000 
136, 000 
65, 000 
%5, 000 
‘9, 000 
24, 000 
25, 000 
ee no 
00 
. 9, 000 
02 G00 
313, 000 
134, 000 
225, 000 
109, 000 
22, 000 
30, 000 
09, 000 
35, 000 
21, 000 
63, 000 
44, 000 
51, 000 
279 O00 
122; 000 
20.000 
{2,000 
T+ 006 
°°, 000 
“1 000 
| Not available. - 
Sources: United States Shipping Board and Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department 
of Commerce. 
Ship Construction; Motor Ships. 
Merchant shipping under construction in the principal maritime 
countries totaled 2,070,000 gross tons on December 31, 1925, con- 
siderably less than at the end of the previous year (Table 26). The 
total for the United States increased from 58,000 tons under con- 
struction at the close of 1924 to 105,000 tons on December 31, 1925, 
the highest figure noted since the middle of 1923. Ttalian and Japa- 
nese construction increased over the previous year while that for the 
United Kingdom. France. and Germany decreased considerably.