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16 corrections, most recently by kenmcinnes - Show corrections

SHIPBUILDING.

CONCRETE VESSELS.

PROPOSAL TO FEDERAL MINISTRY.

Mr. E. G. Stone, of Messrs. Stone and Siddeley, engineers and contractors, has put before the Prime Minister a proposal to construct a 4,000 ton concrete vessel within seven months, and after that, if the work is organised on a large enough scale, to maintain an output of one similar vessel a week. Mr. Stone stated last night that the Prime Minister had received the pro- posal very favourably, and was fully alive

to the situation.

"This is the one kind of vessel for which we have all the materials available in Aus- tralia," said Mr. Stone last night," and the question of labour will offer no difficulties. The vessels would be built of concrete, with a framework of steel bars, which can easily be obtained. Messrs. Thompson Brothers, of Castlemaine, and other engineering firms have offered to supply the necessary engines within the specified time. They will be internal combustion engines, of the semi- Diesel type, and the vessels will be capable of a speed of 10 knots an hour. A greater speed could be attained, but it would not justify the expense. The vessels will be

purely cargo-carriers, of course. My firm has offered to back my opinion that the vessels will be seaworthy and satisfactory, by a guarantee of £10,000, and Messrs. Thompson Brothers will back their engines.  

Private shipping companies have ap-   proached me with regard to designing 8,000 ton vessels. I think that these larger ves- sels can he built without difficulty, and

with equal safety. Our suggestion is to   build the vessels at Geelong and Adelaide. Both places have an ample supply of materials and the necessary facilities, and

at both special terms have been offered   which would enable the vessels to be very cheaply constructed.

"We built the biggest concrete barge in the world," continued Mr. Stone. "It is 180ft. long, with a beam of 80ft., and is now in use in Sydney Harbour, where it serves its purpose well, and has stood many heavy shocks. We have gone very care- fully, into the matter of the seaworthiness of concrete vessels, and studied all the vari- ous strains and stresses, including the 'hog- ging' and 'sagging' strains to which they would be subjected. We have had our cal- culations and data checked by University professors and other experts, and are satis- fied that, when properly designed and con- structed, concrete vessels will have an elas- ticity equal to steel ships, and be quite as seaworthy. Concrete vessels are being built in Norway, and a recent cable mes- sage stated that the Norwegian Govern- ment had ordered 50,000 tons of shipping built of concrete. We have been in touch by cable with the builders of these vessels in Norway, and are absolutely certain that, we are on the right track. I may say that we believe that with properly constructed compartments, these concrete vessels would be proof against submarine attacks; that is to say, that they would not sink if tor- pedoed."

Tasmanian Conference.

HOBART, Thursday.-The Premier of Tasmania has called a conference of repre- sentatives of 23 shipbuilding, engineering, and timber companies to discuss the ques- tion of shipbuilding. He has asked them to come lo the conference with definite pro-

posals.

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