Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1917-08-16
President Takes Hand in Dispute
Between Denman and
GoethaIs.
VESSELS NOW Being BUILT
Both Wooden and Steel Ships Will Be
Constructed for Merchant Marine
to Carry Food and Supplies
Across the Water.
BY EDWARD q. CLARK.


Neutrality-suspicious. Wilson has
taken hand in the controversy which
has ragged holly for some time over the
question as to whether steel ships or
wooden ships should be built to give
us merchant marine which can carry
food and supplies quickly across the
water. Both steel ships and wooden
ships will be constructed.
Washington officials say that what
the administration, and doubtless the
American people with it, have desired,
is that ships shall be built as quickly
vas possible. Major General Goethals,
who was put in charge Of the shipping
program, and William Denman, adj
miralty lawyer, who is the head Of
the shipping board, differed in opinion
rs to whether steel or wooden ships
should be built, and the controversy
became so furious that the president
had to take hand. Now both steel
and wooden ships are in the first
stages of construction, and probably
by next January many of the wooden
ships will be carrying cargoes to
Great Britain. France and Italy.
1t is no secret in Washington that
the administration for long time was
pretty close to the point of anger over
this row between the soldier and the
admiralty lawyer. There are certain
things which make it appear that in
administration circles there is feel
ing that the wooden ship program, as q
quick-moving proposition, has ap.
pealed strongly to the president, but
it was certain he would not attempt to
decide the moot question or to issue
any order or to suggest that any one
man "stand from UNDER until he knew
definitely by word Of mouth what Cen
eral Cocktails had to say, as he already
had learned after the same manner
what William penman had to say.
Facts Difficult to Ascertain.
Washington, generally speaking, has
been inclined to take sides in this ship
building controversy in accordance
with its personal sy,nrathics with the
one man or the ether man who are
the chief parties thereto. The trouble
in arriving at n decision concerning
the merits of the case has been that
few IF tho officials and few Of the
prominent nonof1icials know very
much about the factors in the prob
lens. No one has. been able to find
out definitely apparently, Just exactly
how long it is going to take to build
the ships. and how much more quickly
the wooden shirs can he made ready
for service.
1t was said at the outset Of the row
that the construction of wooden ships
could not be begun until the timber
for their building had been seasoned
by time" Now comes the statement
that the timber does not have to be
seasoned by time. and that if any sea-
soning is necessary, it can be done by
kiln-dryfng process which takes only
few hours. or days at the most.
Argument of Wooden Ship Men.
There has been insistcnce by the
partisans of the wooden ship plan that
1t makes little or no difference wheth-
or the vessels will last a long time or
mot. and it is urged that General
Cocktails in making the short life of
the wooden vessels q factor in the
controversy has weakened his case.
The argument of the wooden ship men
is that If vessels can be built and
made staunch enough to last for Is
years, the fact should be an all-suffi-
cient factor in the solution of the prob
lem.
1t is urged also that it makes little
difference, considering the critical con-
ditions of commerce, whether the steel
ship will last longer than a wooden
ship or not, because the main point is
to get something that will carry car
goes during the continuance Of the