The Portland daily press., 1900-08-27
TIMES ARE GOOD.
Labor Department. Agent In Maine
Shipyards.

Augusta, August Pa most encour-
aging outlook for the Maine shipbuilding
Industry is reported by Major @. j.
House of the department OF industrial and
labor statistics, who has just returned
from the Maine coast towns where he has
been gaining information for the next re-
port OF the department..
"Nearly all OF the shipbuiIdlng, this
year, are four, five and six masters,
said the major, Friday, at the depart
ment 81 found one or two smaller
schooners, but those being built, were for
the most part as have said, the larger
schooners. You see everything has con-
tributed toward the success of shipbuild-
ing. The storms along the Maine coast
for the past year or so destroyed number
less schooners, They had to be replaced.
It is true that the smaller ones were des-
troyed, but the owners are building, not
small sohooners in their place, but those
of d greater carrying capacity.
''Those who were building the smaller
schooners were men who were carrying
on that work as simply a side line or
knitting work One man in particular is
Il. ,
That work at best is uncertain. On
week he might have great deal to do
and the next week would have nothing
on hand He had to keep his crew on
hand for something might come up at
any moment that would need his whole
force. Instead of having the men lying
around doing nothing, he kept them busy
building small schooner which he
planned to sell.
81 went to Bath, Waldoboro, Thomaston,
Rockland, Camden, Belfast, Bucksport and
NIilbridge and found the yards all busy.
"In Bath for instance every yard was
busy and in some cases the crews were
simply waiting for one ship to be built
before commencing work on another.
In one particular instance no sooner was
the schooner launched from the yard than
the work was commenced to clear up so
that the keel of a second schooner might
be- laid. In nearly all OF the places have
mentioned, more than one large schooner
was being built while in some places
several were in the process of oonstruc-
tion.
''Of course the most work is being done
in Bath. So far, according to the figures
given me at the custom house, the net
tonnage of the schooners launched is 90,
$3.50 up to July l, and it is the expectation
that scho oners of as much more COM
bined net tonnage viii be launched before
the season closes. Every yard there is
busy. Wages are not so much higher
than usual, but every man is employed.
''With the exception of the size I can
not find that there is much difference
In the construction now and in former
days when smaller schooners were built.
Nearly all of the schooners are having
steam hosting gear put in, as the sails
are too heavy to be handled to advantage
by the crew. [ found that several barges
for coal and ice are. being built, this
year This is, of course, a new feature
in shipbuilding in Maine.
81 can see no reason why the State
should not have another good season,
next year. While great many schOoners
have been built, this year, sall OF those de-
stroyed in the November gale of two years
agoshave not been replaced. Then again
TIL sra is a demand for schooners. A
great manyof the ship owners In the
State are finding demand from Califor
MIA people who want to bny all the ships
they can get hold of. The owners can
sell to good advanta &c, and are unloading
their shares in the schooners they own.
The value Of shipping property is appre-
chatting. But 1 cannot say whether or
not it will go back to the value of a few
years ago when there was such a depre-
ciation,'