New-York tribune., 1915-03-25
Action Follows Tribune'S
Story of Submarines
Shipped to Montreal.
INQUIRY AT FORE
RIVER AND FRISCO
,r,eement Was That Boatbuild-
ers Were Not to Export
Structural Parts.
LIN N. T,lhune Rureaul

Washington, MaICh - oIiV"A AlS
=. exclusive publication in The Trib-
:, this morning that the Fore River
s,;,huilding Company, at Quincy,
v,.s. was manufacturing parts Of sub
-,,;,es and shipping them TO Canada,
.,,,s ,bcv we're put together, Secro-
.,,v Daniels to-day directed the Navy
n,,,-tmert observer at that plant TO
;-r.s.irste and report whether or not
4, sbinhuildinC company was adhering
. is agreement with the State De-
psrtmcnt. =,
Secretary Daniels also said he would
-. naval officer investigate the
.,,,t Of the Union Iron Works, at San
r-,r,isco. 10 ind out if it was sur
cautiously avoiding Mr.. Schwab's
..-ssrent with the Secretary of State
Iv ,b;npjnc out Of this country actual
,.-uctural parts Of the frames and hulls
:, submarines in the guise Of the un-
Prohibited parts.
II either the Fore River plant or the
Gan Francisco plant shipped parts Of
,pbmarjnes 70 Canada, where they were
mt together. it would constitute a
violation Of Mr.. Schwab's agreement
With Secretary Bryan.
When Charles ". Schwab entered
;,,o his agreement with Secretary Of
Safe Bryan relative to the construc-
10, Of submarine torpedo boats for
shipment TO belligerents, the agree
ns,t was designed only to hold against
ne sbipments OF the vessels themselves
,,m,lete or the structural portions
hereof in shape for ready assembly in
Canadian or European shipyards. The
,-reement placed no inhibition on the
S,5wab concerns-most notably the
Fore River Shipbuilding Company of
9lincy. Mass ss-from manufacturing the
component parts of submarines aside
RON the structural steel work of the
fs1S; in other words, such parts Of
as vessels as were specifically neces-
ary 10 make under-sea ships of them.
There is no inhibition in the agree
nent against the manufacture of such
parts Of the vessels as do not of them
selves constitute the actual building
Of n under-sea boat The reasons lead
ing up to this agreement were that the
State Departments legal officials held
that the international code forbade the
equipment Of armed expeditions" such
as the fitting out Of fighting ships or
transports which could carry an armed
force for one belligerent into enemy
territory. The legal authorities held
that structural parts of a submarine
ready for assembling constituted with
ia the strict Interpretation Of the code
the fitting out of an armed expedition.
On February 20 last the German
Embassy on the advice of its secret
agents in the United States, entered
protest at the State Department
against the alleged practice on the part
o. the Schwab concerns of manufact-
'Hng the component parts of subma-
ines for shipment to belligerent terri
0ry, where they might be assembled
inio complete ships. At the time of
isgstering this protest Count van
0eTnstorf issued the following state
nent:
p The plants Of the Bethlehem Steel
company and the Union Iron Works
o. Ssn Francisco are, according TO re-
HsUe information, sending the compo-
.sn' parts OF submarines ordered by
We British government to Canada.
submarines Tor England are also be-
Ms oulit at Boston and Seattle. The
e'ehuon Of the United States Depart
Ieht Of State mas been drawn to these
.sels by the German and Austro-Hun
saf4an embassies as being in contradIc-
"Tl 70 the laws of neutrality"
Following this appeal. Secretary
.oahleIs, at the instigation of Secre-
I.tiy Bryan, ordered his observers at
.He points mentioned to make the nee
SCssafy nYestgations and report. The
SSstman statement confused the Navy
apartment not a little, for it had
svt oeen speclrc as TO the Boston yard,
'he Secretary was at a loss as 10
".s'e 10 begin investigating.
me investigation ordered by Mr.
=. Ss.iels disclosed no apparent intention
we part or the Shipbuilders to dis
NJ or ignore their understanding
Nm me State Department and the
Navy Department.
boston, March General Manager
cSsNelI' Of the Fore River Shipbuilding
f,mPsny, who was not expected back
,..I I'm New York and the South until
al! next week, will be at his desk in
, s quincy plant tomorrow. On his
r;i'ai u IS expected that formal de-
be issued ''''
,ruoheation in The Tribune this
Irning Of the activity of the com
ny N shipping parts of submarines
,s.SIulhery for building and skilled me-
,,s.i ,Ies Tor assembling them to Mon
S,I created a stir at the plant to-
a., 'hough it caused no surprise in
naey' where for weeks the foreign
~. siuess .S Of the company has been COM
e, is admitted at the plant that the
s.pshy Is working at capacity on sub
Ss;nes' but it is denied that any are
is,,ss shipped. The question, who
ST. brought the answer: "Ask Mr.