Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-17
A MIRACLE IN THE MAKING

GENERAL COCKTAILS mas arranged
~ to answer the worlds cry for ships.
He has completed plans for the imme'
date erection of two monster ship-assem-
bling plants, one at Newark and the
other at Philadelphia the former to be
handled by the Submarine Boa, Com
pany and the latter by the American In
ternational Corporation. His planl con-
template not only relief from the sub
marine. but the supremacy of the Amer
lean merchant marine in time of peace.
The sums Involved are too enormous TO
be expended for temporary purposes only,
when it is quite feasible to provide for
permanent uses at the same time. So
complete a.e the arrangements made by
General &c sthalS and SC obviously are
they in the public interest that the inter
ference % Mr.. Denmai can be effective
only temporarily in holding up the pro-
~ram. It is a pity that 1t should be held
UP at al. for everything is ready to begin
ct once the construction Of the plants
1t is important an the interest If fair
ness to understand that General Goethals,
however, has not torpedoeC the wooden
ship scheme He announced last Friday
that contracts had been let or agreed
upon for 34s such ships, with contracts
under negotiation for 100 more II shall
continue &C tsc all contracts for wood
ships" lie Observed which I can secure
from responsible bidders" There is no
evidence in this attitude u hostility to
wooden vessels, or ot a failure t. utilize
wood construction t. the uttermos'
The main reliance Of the Government,
however will be on the construction OF
fabricated steel ships If standard pattern.
'T shall offer contracts" sait General
Goethals ito produce 400 fabricated steel
ships of an aggregate tonnage capacity
Of 2,5OO,OOO tons withir the next eighteen
90 twenty-four months. The design Of
the ship IS ready. 'he plans of the Yards
are ready, the distribution of the work
OF furnishing the materiel and OF fabrica.
tion Is arranged"
Behind this simple statement lies rec.
ord OF achievement almost Inconceivable.
Working quietly but surely General
rSao.ho1s o,d bis associatas baya arranged
for the construction of two shipyards Of
O capacity hitherto unapproached they
have made provision for all materials for
the construction Of the plants, down 70
the last nail needed for the rapid assem-
bling Of all this material and fol' the
prompt manufactur, and delivery OF all
parts or the ships yhich are to be fabri
Gated We doubt IL in the history of in
dustry any plan equal ~ II In compre-
hensivsness considering the factor Of
urgency, has ever been evolved.
We feel justified in surmising that when
the war IL over this great yard will be
Lhe backbone OF the American merchant
marine that is again to assert its suprem-
acy on the high seas. This is all the more
probable because the banking interests
Involved are the identical banking inter
ests which have already spread net
work OF agencies through Latin America
and other foreign parts. and are perform
ing Trojan work in the extensio- ard de.
velopment of American trade.
At the risk too Of causing annoyance to
public officials whose lackadai- cay methods
of administering public affairs threatened
for period the great development OF the
League Island yard-first through their
acquiescence in deplorable moral sur
roundings, and. secondly. through their
dilatory tactics in providing the new in
dustrial territory with transit facilities
we take it upon ourselves TO state that
two controlling reasons for the selection
of the site for the gigantic shipbuilding
plant were these:
First II was outside the city limits.
wherefore IL would not be subject to the
harassing tactics Of Organization polti-
clans
Second. It offered a fve-cent trolley
fare 10 a residential district for workmen
Men who months ago visioned the ex-
pansion that is already SURPRISING even
their roseate expectations might be par
doned now II they asked sour-faced OBJ
structionists why they held back and why
today is little better prepared
with proper public utilities for her great
nuture than she was three years ago.
We can aaord however. to be charl-