Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-05-10
STEEL SHIPS
NOW PLAN
BY G0ETHALS
BUILDER URGES CHANGE IN PLAN AS
MEANS OF 0vEPcCsfiMG U-BOAT
MENACE-WO0D SHIPS WILL
BE CONSTRUCTED LATER.
HOLDS CONFERENCE WITH PROM
NENT MEN IN STEEL INDUSTRY TO
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY CAN
DO TO SUPPLY MATERIALS

CHICAGO, May l0.-May wheat sold
cargo ships. rot wooden ones. are favored
by Major General George ". Cocktails
manager of the big merchant ship building
enterprise through which the United States
hopes 10 overcome the submarine menace.
This highly important change in the orig
nal plans of the shipping board will be ear
ried into effect by General Goethals. if he
can work ont the scheme upon which he i
now engaged. II does not mean thai No
wooden ships will be built. but il signifies
that the master Shipbuilder places Il higher
value on steel ones. and also believes that
they can be more rapidly constructed. II
i now probable that the first energies III
the Shipping Board will be concentrated
on a steel fleet. and that wooden ships will
come along later.
General Goethal> has had several con
f%erence> with prominent men in the steel
industry 10 learn exactly what they can do
70 supply materials for a fleet Of cargo
ships. 1t j. learned that he haS been III
formed that the steel industry j. ready IL
20 Ia work on Il set of standardized plans
manufacturing uniform parts Tor a. many
IA 800 ships and that General Goethal, /,
of the belief that steel can be supplied
much more rapidly than lumber.
The steel ship project. which is now be-
inc dorked ont. involves a certain type Of
vessel, the plans for which can be dis
tributcd among several large steel plants.
All parts are 10 be standardized. Quick
work IN supplying the manufactured ma
@tcrial has been promised by "A number Of
big concerns. The steel ship plans have
not been completed. but are being rushed
a. rapidly a. possible. General Gfethal-
having given much Of his time thus far IL
getting an exact idea of Just what the steel
plans can furnish and when they can de-
liver it.
Among the ~-tcelmcn with whom General
Cocktails has recently conferred are Jas.
~. Farrell, president of the United States
Steel Corporation. and Charles VI. Schwab.
chairman of the board Of the Bethlehem
Steel Company. The government ship
builder j. understood 10 have received as
fsA 'AA - ~ WV INV iAiil ina ftAAthtl
work can hc lone on steel vessels than
wooden ones.
This determination of General Coc-
thal> to concentrate on steel ships nj first
does not mean the complete Sidctrarkine
of the wooden ship. The latter type wa-
planned in order Ia relieve pressure ON the
steel industry. engaged largely in furnish
ing material for naval vessels. III General
Goethal> has found a way to get steel for
his cargo carrier without delay, the wood
e ship becomes far less important.
The center Of the wooden ~hiphuilding
activity j. the state 1T Washington, where
there are great forests Of fir and other
timber necessary for such vessels. The
Pacific coast -hipbuiidcrS have been count
Ing on heavy order, for the new merchant
fleet and are naturally chacrincd over the
cutting down of their program. There l.
sharp rivalry between theme and The steel
people. The wood -hipmcn declare that
the steel people are afraid their business
will be hard hit in the future If the wood
en- ship becomes q standard government
product.
No such considerations one way or an
other have concerned General Goctha!S. He
Is out To build ships ~ rapidly a. possible,
either steel or wooden, and after invcStiea-
ltion, IL of the opinion hc can yet steel YES
sells more quickly than he can get the 9th
or type.
One of the great landicapS at the pres
cnt time j. lac kof organization and diff
iercncc- Of opinion IN the Office. ~ the
shipping Board. The board and General
GocthalS. whose title Is that OF General
Manager IT the Emergency Ship Corpora
ton, which was organized with the gov
eminent "a It's sole stakeholder. have not
agreed on many general principles ~ well
~ details and 10 Il very large extent the
new manager has found il necessary IL be-
gin all over again. In course OF time. these
differences will be Strengthened out, and
il j. expected that there will be u" further
serious delays IN the program. Mean
while the money situation will nave Ia be
solved either by attempting To sell the can
al bonds or by going 10 congrc-~ for
funds 10 be desired from some other avail
able source.
Experts have been conducting success
ful experiments in the manufacture Of pa
"