§ 29. Mr. ALDENasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller whether he can state the results of the ocean convoy system up to date in so far as it relates to homeward-bound vessels?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of SHIPPING (Sir Leo Chiozza Money)The results of the ocean convoy system continues to improve, and the percentage of loss is now less than when I answered a similar question put by the hon. Member for North-East Lanarkshire on 29th January last. Taking all the homeward-bound convoys since the inception of the system in June, 1917, 30,692,799 gross register tons of shipping, with a dead-weight capacity of 42,345,500 tons, have been convoyed to United Kingdom and French ports with a loss expressed in gross tons of 1.31 per cent., and in dead-weight capacity of 1.29 per cent.
These figures are for the period ending 29th June, 1918, and relate to British, Allied, and neutral tonnage. They cover war and marine losses, and include losses 158 which have been incurred through the dispersal of convoys owing to bad weather, as well as losses due to vessels failing to maintain their position in the convoy.
§ Sir L. CHIOZZA MONEYIt is reckoned on the percentage of ships homeward-bound.