The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-02
SH|PbU|LDERS FACE
SERIOUS PROBLEM
Behind i'm Work on British
Warships
NO SKILLED LABOR
Woman Acts as Ships Surgeon for
the First Time-Claims Women
Can Shoot as Well With
Rifle as Men

London February 1-Great Britain
constant effort to maintain her supremacy
at sea is evidenced by the fact that Y
battleships and battle cruisers for her
navy, all of the most modern design, viii
be under construction in British shipyards
during the. present year. Furthermore,
the first lord of the admiralty. Winston
Churchill. was practically promised to
ask parliament for money for five more
large ships, and 1t is possible that this
number will be increased to six on ae-
count OF the situation in the Mediter-
ranean, and the action of Austria-Hun
gary and TtaiySin increasing their naval
programmes.
Then there are the three battleships
which Premier Borden of Canada has
asked the Dominion parliament 10 pre-
sent to the mother country, and the yes
sci foh> which the federated Malay states
have vsted the money and which, like
those from Canada, will be a modern bat
teship.
British shipyards are also building six
more large modern waaships for foreign
governments. The total new displacement
under way amounts to $4,000 tons, and
the cost will run very near $4Oo, ,OOO,wo.
To complete these ships with the neces-
sary speed will require very careful or
ganlzation. Already recent British pro-
grammes are In arrears, and there are
likely to be some delays with this record
In warship construction. Heretofore the
admiralty has calculated on two years
for the completion of a battleship, but
1t is probable that they will now have
to revise this estimate.
The great difficulty that confronts both
fho Il o,Irxr 1p chi .f.14flf an
nies is the insufficiency of skilled labor.
The dockyards are working day and night
shifts and overtime and they have re-
cruited about all the available men, spc-
cial inducements having had no effect.
The dockyards are In the same fix.
There is quite a population of shipbuild-
ers on the lower Thames, where the
trade once flourished, but they are
strangely adverse to leaving the vicinity
of London, and while employment is
plentiful elsewhere they seek work of
any kind near their homes.
The Norwegian expedition which, un-
der the leadership of John Koren, has
been exploring the north coast of Siberia
since the summer of 1911 Is expected to
reach Nome Alaska, in July, 1918.
Sailing his ship Kittiwake through
Bering Straits in the summer of 1911. Cap
tain Koren followed the north coast OF
Siberia as far as the mouth of the river
Colyma. He then sailed up the Colymo
for 800 miles. At this point on the river
the expedition wintered and secured val
uabe furs from the natives of region
where traders had never come before
During the winter the entire supply of
gasoline was lost. so the kittawake was
allowed to drift down the river with the
ice in the spring.
At the mouth of the Colyma Captain
Korer set sail for I<oluchin, about 200
miles from the island of the same name.
Here the explorers met the American
schooner Morris. under command of Cap
tain William Schroeder. and the Schooner
took the I<ittwake in tow. The two vel
sells expected to winter on the Island
OF, IIoliuchin. which they undoubtedlv
reached in time to establish headquarters
for the long arctic night
There is no fear for the safety of the
expedition. as the Kittiwake was amply
supplied with all the necessities to pro-