The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-11
SHIP BUILDING IN AMERICA.
SENATOR FRYE REPLIES TO IN
QUIRIES OF THE MORNING NEWS.

ing Under.
Washington, March 1.-THE attention of
Senator Frye was called 90 a series of
questions propouuded in an editorial pub
lished in the Savannah Morning News,
and, the editor seeming to be sincerely
searching for information. the Senator was
asked TO crafty him. especially as the ed
itor's questions We're addressed to Senator
Frye. To this request the latter respond
ed as follows:
Il am always glad to impart any infor-
nation l have on public questions to any
one VINO seeks II in a respectful way The
savannah News is a paper that doubtless
exercises a wide influence in Georgia, and
us readers ought to be Informed upon
those points concerning which its editor
seems 90 lack exact knowledge For in
stance, the Savannah News asks me:
w ny Is il that contracts for warshps
are given to American shipbuilders by
foreign governments if ships dan be built
Tor less money in the shipyards of other
nations?'
Il presume the editor of the Savannah
News would scarcely think it fair were
10 answer his inquiry by propounding an
other, TO wit: Why is 1t, if ships can be
bullt in the United States as cheaply.
or more cheaply, than they can be
punt abroad, that there Is no case OH
record of a foreign steamship line hay-
ing mad ship built in the United States
even in the case of lines running direct
~ IN our trade? Nevertheless the one
question is as fair as the other. Answer
ing the question as asked | should say;
Ii might be that the warships could be
quilt in the United States i'm a shorter
period than they could be built abroad.
our shipyards might not be so busy as
foreign yards. Again, the prestige of
the American navy since our war with
spain would unquestionably influence
foreign nation seeking its warships
abroad II is quite likely that we are able
to build warships in the United States as
cheaply as they are built abroad but that
by no means implies that we can build
merchant ships as cheaply, and the
fact Is we cannot. The reason we build
warships as cheaply is because the gov
eminent declared. fourteen years ago. that
all OF the designs, ma terials, and wo kman-
ship on our warships should be American
Thus combining the demand for our new
navy to American ingenuity and skill
money was put into expensive plants,
competition was engendered between our
own people alone, with the result that in
about ten years we were able to build wa
ships approximately as cheaply as they
can be built abroad. But a warship is
very different construction from a
merchant ship. If a similar demand
should be created for American merchant
ships, covering a similar period, doubtless
al the end of that time we would be
building them as cheaply here as else
where.
1.-THE Savannah News further asks:
Why is it that ships can be built in
England or Germany cheaper than they
can be built in this country, where all the
material can be obtained at prices below
those which prevail in Europe?'
rfatn
cheaply here as in Europe. We are rap
Idly approaching the time when THAI will
be true, but il is not true now. year
ago or more, just az the close of "A long
strike in Great Britain, during which
British rolling mills had been shut down
for MONTHS and when they were working
night and day in order TO supply the ac-
cumulated demand, naturally prices soar
ed, but even then il was impossible 90
promptly supply the home demand at that
same time The boom had not begun in
steel manufacture in the United States
and for a short time, as a result, we ship
ped to Great Britain about 100000 tons
of shipbuilding materials at prices slight
by below British prices But we are not
doing so now, and have not, for over
year. Prices of steel are very much high
er in the United States, now, than they
are in Great Britain, but as soon as the
abnormal demand has been sa tsfied
But 1t should be borne in mind that Amer
lean shipbu.lders are NOT dependent upon
American steel makers for their ship
building materials, in the case, at least,
of ships designed for the foreign trade, as
such materials are admitted to the United
States free of duties, and have been for
several years The materia Is entering
into first-class ship never represent
more than 50 per cent. of the cost of the
completed vessel fully so per cent. rep
resenting labor in the shipyards.
Another thing: In England, Scotland
and ireland, the constant demand for
ships keeps the men steadily employed.
and thus their maximum efficiency is util-
lied. The same Is true in the modern Ger
man shipyards. Labor, in those shipyards,
however, receives but about half what is
received in ours. In our yards the ma
jority of the men have come from Great
Britain; their efficiency in our yards is
little, if any, greater than in foreign ship
yards. The Intermittent character of the
employ ment in American shipyards does
not permit Of the efficiency and economy
in construction possible in those countries
where steady employment is assured Take
the case of the Clyde, for
instance; there ships are dupl-
Gated over and over again from the
same designs and specifications. This has
been going on for many years. and II ac-
counts for the celebrity and the cheapness
of their constructions, especially in that
character of vessels-the slow going. So
called tramp varlety-in which changes
in plans and specifications are unneces-
sary. This is not the case In the United
States There are new plans and new
Specifications for each different ship I
recall that one of the firm of William p
Clyde & Company, put out plans and spe-
cfcations for a ship, and finally placed
the order with the lowest bidder. After
formed by their builders that If they
would dup cate the cr7er, a reduction Of
$4,000 per ship would be made; and had
the order been quaor piled, / have no
doubt a reduction Of $50 800 per ship would
have been possible. The passage Of the
shipping bill is designed to cover all Of
these unfavorable conditions, and the be-
lief is especially among our shpowners
and shipbuilders that with the then
probable reduction in the price Of mater
ials there Will be an increased efficiency
and economy in construction. due to "A
long sustained and steady demand for