The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-06-13
xliMetE OVER SHIPS.
CLARK ANRD EUsTIs CENsUsu
COCKTAILS WARMLY.
Enginscrs Allcgc That Abandonment.
~ This Plan VIII Invite Disaster to

over the governments wooden shi,
building programme came to q head
tonight when #. A. Eustis. assistant
seneral manager OF tho Emergency
Fleet corporation. and his assistant,
II. Huntington Clark. issued state
1Asnts virtually charging Maj. Gen
0eorgc Goethals. general manager OF
the corporation. with haitlng build
ing of the vessels by prescribing a,
1npossible form or contract. Tn,
statements reveal that the fleet cor
poraticn has just received offers from
ten firms to build 4ss wooden ships
! within IL months or 7ss within Il
nontha Gen. Goethals has turned
ne proposals. down because the
onitasrs wished to construct the ships
On cost plus 10 per cent. profit basis
ostssd OF contracting for a fat price
lor the ships.
Mr.. Eustis and Mr.. Clark are the
mining Engineers who originated tho
uooden ship building plan adopted
~ the shipping board and regarded
~ Cen Gosthais az lmpracticablc.
When flis board formed the fleet co.,
poraticn and put Gen. aoethals at It's
1sad. with full powers to build ships.
ths two engineers were assigned to
ne ccrporation as the generals aides.
Aftsf taking charge of the building
Drosrsmme. Gen. Goethals turned TO
@eel c7nstruction and limited tho
veeden programme to not more than
$50 ships In rs months. Mr.. Eustis
and Mr. Clark contend the corpora.
ton cHn build 1000 wooden ships
within that time without interfering
with steel building.
Gen, Goethais could not be seen Il.
night for comment on tho statement.
Chairman Dcnman OF the shlpping
board. who has been represented n
oppovlng Gen. Goethals' plan to re-
trict wooden buiiding. said:
None of the members of the ship
ping board has any knowledge Of the
statement attributed to the enCi-
nsers. Mr.. Eustis and Mr.. Clark in
simating n refusal by Gen. Goethais
to build as many wooden ships as he
might nor had they the slightest in
timation that they wcrc to be issued.
Con. Goethals as head of the Erner-
gsncy. Fleet corporation. I'm the service |
Of Which they have been active. has
entire crcsponsibility for the shipbuild-
ins programme. wood and steel.
Tho board has not insisted that
esthcr wood or steel Ibe given prefer
snce. All that we desire Is the maxi |
mum OF quickly constructed tonnag |
for Immediate war necessities. Gen |
Goethais has not requested any as
sistancc from the shipping board ana |
any request for assistance that he |
might have mado or will make would |
have been and will be given immc
diate attention"
MIR. Eustis and Mr. Clark are SER
Ing the feet corporation without pa
Both Indicated tonight they expectcs'
their designations would he asked bu;
declared they felt 1t to be their duty
To put tho situation before the Amer
lean people and show that ships can
be built to overcome the German sub
marine campaign.
Mr.. Clark explained tonight tn
tangle over commitments for woode
ships. When first employed he an
Mr.. Eustis, ne said. directed severl,
shipbuiiding companies to go aheaf
with wooden ship building leaving tn
form Of contract to be determined o
given TO understand they would get ~,
least 10 per cent. OF their work. Gen
Gocthais. he said. on taking charge
stopped all work and the prospective
builders had been unable TO obcain
any satisfaction as To whether they |
would Jc given contracts Mr.. C,arl |
said:
LAS far as we can learn. the prescn
programme contemplates about 8.
0oe. 900 tons of Shipping IN Is months
This amount was sunk In the frs
four months OF this year and tn
shortage In already appalling. The
wooden ship programme has been cut
TO about onc-fifth OF It's original size |
apparently To make room for steel
ships. IL ls possible to build ships for
1900. 900 tons more than are at pres
cnt contemplated without I'm tn
slightest degree interfering with the
steel construction.
~ crisis in shipping will aris
about December 4 and our allies AMI |