The Washington herald., 1917-05-21
GOETHALS AGREES
ON WOODEN SHIPS
Denial of Controversy Over
Plans Made by Chairman
of Shipping Board.

Repezts of differences between Gen.
George W. Goethals, general manager
OF the newly created shipping corpora
tion. and the United States Shipping
Board. last night called forth emphatic
denials from Chairman William Denman.
Of the Shipping Board.
Chairman Denman declared that Gen.
Goethals from the first had shared the
boards view that the governments plan
TO build wooden ships was regarded as a
sacrifice from an economic viewpoint,
but had been put forward frorl military
necessity. Chairman Denman issued
this statement:
The Shipping Board has viewed with
astonishment the suggestion that there
has been any disagreement between Gen.
Goethals and the board concerning the
emergency shipbuilding program. There
is not now and never has been any dis
agreement between Gen. Goethals and
the board on this or any other question
OF policy.
The Shipping Board never has wanted
to build wooden ships, but has been driv-
en- 10 It by necessity.
Wooden ships Essential
Gen. Goethals has never committed
himself to any figure. either as a matter
OF scientific hope or expectancy, OF the
wooden tonnage we might be able to pro-
duce. but he has always kept to his first
opinion that it was essential to produce
all the wooden tonnage We could produce
as a supplement to the steel ship output
Of the nation. Should the effectiveness
of the submarine be happily curbed, IL
is obvious that the first curtailing Of
production would be the wooden ship"
Construction Of four lO,oO0-ton steel
ships. for early delivery to the govern
ment, at q total cost not to exceed 5000 -
OOo was authorized yesterday by the
United States Shipping Board. The con-
tract for these ships was awarded TO the
MerriII-Stevens Company, Of Jackson
Vile Fla
The Shipping Board was advised that
operations have been started at utmost
speed in the plant of the Los Angeles
ShipbuildinE Company, TO make avail
able at the earliest possible moment
eight new steel ships of $500 tons each.
Plans were rushed ahead in yards on
both coasts to begin work on contracts
to be awarded within the next few days.
The greater volume of work agreed upon
will be entered upon as soon as Congress
makes available the S75OOOo. OOo fund for
shipbuildinE.
Sub Menace Serious.
Congress will be spurred to quicker ac-
ton today by the latest reports OF de-
struction OF allied shipping by German
submarines. which are seeping through
government channels from all quarters.
The alarm felt by government officials
was in no sense allayed by the fact there
has been in recent weeks a slight diminu-
ton in the rate OF destruction as COM
pared with a month or two ago. Govern
ment experts know this is because allied
shipping has been kept closely to their
ports. rather than to any let-up in Ger
man submarine warfare.
Chairman Denman, OF the Shipping
Board, saw grave peril in the slightest
delay to the execution OF the program
projected by President Wilson and his ad-
visers 'It should be noted that II the
world produces all Of the steel ships that
it can now build or can be built in the
next eighteen months, and in addition
all of the wooden ships which can be
built in that time, II will not equal one
half Of the rate OF destruction establish
ed by the German submarine in last
April" Chairman Denman said.