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Show AMERICAN FLAG ON MANY SHIPS Great Increase in Registration Is Shown During the Past Year. Washington, Aug. 30. The American Ameri-can flag now -floats over more ships In the foreign trade than at any other time since 1S63, and the United States is pressing close on Franco and Norway Nor-way as a marine nation. Figures made public today by the department of commerce show a record rec-ord increase in American shipping for the year ended June 30. On that date there were registered in the foreign for-eign trade 2,768 ships, totalling 1,813,-775 1,813,-775 gross tons, an( increase of 36'J ships and 737,623 tons for the year. Practically all the increases are duo to the new American registry law. Assistant Secretary Sweet of the department of commerce, said in a statement today "This is about triple the Increase In registered tonnage for any previous previ-ous year in American history. Our registered tonnage is now much greater than at any time since 1863, when we had 2,026,114 gross tons in foreign trade. It is many times more as the steam tonnage now amounts to 1,273,067 gross tons while in 1863 It amounted to only 133,215 tons. "The increase from the ship registry regis-try act of August 18, 1914. to June 13, 1915, was so rapid that tonnago under the American flag now employed employ-ed in foreign trade is nearly equal to such tonnage under the French or Norwegian flags. British tonnage, of course, is more than ten-fold greater." |