The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-07-17
DENMAN HALTS
NEW SHIP PLANS
Sends GOethals Letter, Which
Starts Fresh Clash-General
Suspends Programme.

WASHINGTON, July 16.-The Govern
ment's shipbuilding programme came to
a dead stop to-day. In spite OF all the
efforts OF President Wilson to compose
the differences between Major-Gen.
Goethals, head of the Emergency Fleet
Corporation. and Chairman Denman Of
the Shipping Board. the offices Of the
two officials resumed the character OF
hostile armed camps
Gen. Goethals. following the receipt
of q letter despatched by Chairman
Denman this morning. called on tenn
porarily the entire shipbuilding and
communicating programme which was
to have started to-day. At Goethalss
office 1t was said that the suspension
of the big programme was occasioned
by direct request by Chairman Den
man for the postponement 30 that the
Shipping Board and the board of direc-
tors of the feet corporation might have
the opportunity to discuss its details
before 1t went into effect. This Den
man denied.
HaIts Important Action.
While this does not hold up tine small
amount of construction under way for
the Government. It halts the signing OF
| agreements for the two new Government
fabricating plants with a capacity Of
100000 tons of steel shipping in eigh-
| teen months, the communicating of L.
100000 tons on the ways and contracts
with private yards for a large addi-
| tional tonnage.
No one would say to-day when the
meeting of the Shipping Board was to
| be held. At the office of Gen. Goethals
II was said no notice had been received
of the date. Chairman Denman said he
would not call the meeting until he OBJ
tained information which he had asked
of Gen. Goethals.
A positive denial that his letter con-
tained any request for a suspension of
the programme was made by Denman.
AS neither Denman nor Goethals would
make public the text of the letter II
was not possible to learn the truth of
the situation. .
Denman asserted that he merely asked
the General for information as to details
of the programme; Information which
he said, the General should have been
able TO furnish within two hours. He
said there was no suggestion that the
General should postpone putting it In
effect. His attitude. however. is that the
General had no authority to promulgate
any policy or programme until II had
the approval of the Shipping Board.
The situation tonight in consequence
is that the two men have resumed the
fight for authority. question which the
President evidently failed to settle by
his recent executive order giving
Goethals supreme power in the actual
construction work and In the comman'
deering of ships on the stocks.
Wilson Is Criticised.
The feeling is growing that the two
men never will work in harmony to.
gether {; that so long as their powers are
nearly equal they will clash necessarily
and embarrass the shipping programme
and that the construction OF a vast fleet
to assist in making up for the submarine
destruction will not progress at the high
est possible speed until the discordan
situation Is relieved. possibly by the re-
moval OF one or the other official.
Criticism is being directed at the
President for not handling the quarre
in a firmer manner. and II he wished L
retain both men for not defining II
terms that could not be misunderstood
: by either their respective powers ant
| functions. That he will be driven t.
some drastic action to clarity the Gov
ernment's policies in respect to construc
J ton and Communicating is regarded a!
certain. At present they are in Z
muddle
Denman represents one set of policies
and Goethals evidently another. Whicl
will gain the ascendency is being Ia
boriously fought out by the two. Den
man in a formal statement tonight as
sailed Goethals for apparent friendlines
to the steel people and indicated that HI
would make his fight against the Gen
eral on these lines:
= Inclusion of more wooden ships in
the programme, particularly OF the
Hough design ship, which may be
built more speedily than the Ferris
) type. which has been given the prefer
l ence by Goethals.
Insistence upon reasonable price"
for steel and for the fabrication OF
steel ships.
5 The retention in the possession OF
l this Government of all alien tonnage
on the stocks in the United States.