The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-30
MORE LEGISLATION
 NEEDED ID SPEED
 SHIP PROGRAMME
Former Rear Admiral Tells Senate Committee What He Thinks Should
 Be Done

Washington, December 29.-An outline S, legislation wanted by the shipping board to provide additional powers Tor speeding up construction of the new merchant fleet has been given by for- nler Rear Admiral Bowles, assistant 10 the general manager of the Emergency Fleet corporation, testifying at the Sem ate committees inquiry into the ship ping situation.
 Among other things, Bowls sald the board desired authorization to declare as a war zone the territory surroundlns ship wards. as well as to commandeer houses and local transportation 1aclu- ties so as to better take care of work men at the plants He also suggested that Congress protect shipbuilders rom the operation of the war excess profits law. or at least modify it's provisions insofar as it pertains to them. Operation of the law is so uncertain now, he eX- pIained, the board is having great trouble in placing contracts at a reasonable price as the builders claim they Will have practically nothing left from the profits on the ships after paying the tax.
 TAX AFFECTS ALL
 Replying to Senator Jones of Washing ton, the assistant general manager said the tax law in general affects all build- CTS and is not confined to any one part of the country. Senator Jones said he had seen telegrams indicating that Pa- cific coast builders were anxious to get contracts
 esYes, at very high prices,'' replied MT. Bowles. Their prices are out of sight.
 Pacific coast plants, he added, have lh- creased their demands from $lS to $zo a ton on steel ships, they now ask, he said, from S1SO to $1S5 a ton, while some are demanding $2Oo.
 Some contractors are acting in good faith, while others are trying to take ad- vantage of the government" said the witness in replying to questions regard ing the general attitude of contractors.
 REFUSED NAMES
 'T think we ought to know who is holding up the government" said Sena- tor Nelson, but MT. Bowles refused to give any names except in executive ses- sion. He added, however, that his policy has been ito deal pretty vigorously with tAna> contractors who attempt to hold up the government" and that if they are called by the committee, he wanted to question them.
 Poor housing and transportation faciii- res, the witness said, caused a tremen- deus waste in man power because steady pace could not be kept. This makes necessary the employment of an excessive number of men. The boards Industrial service department is studying the subject, the witness continued, and is planning to give relief to 5000 skilled y7orkmen within year.
 EXAMPLE IS STATED
 As an example of the delay due to poor housing conditions, MT. Bowles declared that if 1500 more houses for workmen were erected at Sparrows Point, Md, that yard S production could be increased by 10 ships a year. Under the boards plan, which Congress would have to ap- prove. land also would be condemned upon which to erect buildings to be rented at reasonable rates to employees of the yards
 MT. Bowles was questioned again to- day regarding wooden ships and, reply ing to committeeman, he said that he had not stated yesterday that the wooden ship programme was flat fail- ure. He said he believed the shipping problem would be solved by building steel ships and that wooden vessels should be built only when tonnage can be increased most rapidly by that means.
 EXTORTTONATE PRICES
 2r Bowles told the committee that the independent pine growers wanted to charge the board $50 per 1000 feet for lumber, $15 more than the price fixed in contracts made with the Southern Pine association, but that this price was refused. He said the independents claimed that they could get higher prices for their product than the board was paying.
 "In other words they wanted to get all they could" suggested Senator Jones of Washington.
 When MT. Bowles left the stand the committee adjourned hearings until next Monday, when Bainbridge Colby, mem- Der of the shipping board. will appear. ReaufifuI PrnprammA