The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-17

Washington, July 16.-The government s merchant shipbuilding programme was
 halted today when Major General Gee thals, manager of the shipping board s fleet corporation. postponed his plan to
 requisition all steel merchant ships un- der construction and to let contracts for
 building two government owned shipyards for producing fabricated steel ships.
 At General Goethars office it was said the postponement was due to request by Chairman Denman. of the shipping board, for a short delay to give the board time
 to go over the programme, This was denied at the shipping board although the statement was made that General Goe- thals had been asked to supply addi- tlonal information concerning his plans.
 Todays development was regarded as bringing to direct issue the question of who is to have supreme authority In carrying out the building programme Chairman Denman or General Goethals. Authority to spend s750. 900 for acquir- ing a great merchant fleet, has been di- shipping board and it's corporation. the board being authorized tv acquire ves- sells by purchase and the corporation to take charge of the building.
 In announcing his programme last Fri day General Goethals apparently assumed that as manager of the corporation he
 would be given free hand, but MT. Den- man, in a statement tonight, assumes re- sponsibility for the shipping board, whose members are directors and stockholders
 of the corporation.
 WILSON MAY INTERFERE
 Officials who have watched the situation
 develop and who have been concerned lest differences between Chairman Denman mad General Goethals hinder the govern ment's shipbuilding plans al a time when c1ery vessel that can be constructed is needed to meet the German submarine menace, declared tonight that President Wilson might be called on to settle the controversy. While the disagreement be- tween the two men appears to be largely over the number and type of wooden ves- sels to be built, it is no secret among their friends that their differences go deeper than that.
 In a letter to MT. Denman, made pub | lie Friday, General Goethals announced that he would start his programme to- day The fact that he had postponed l. was made known after ne had received a letter from MT. Denman this morning, The contents of this letter neither would divulge, and at the offices of one it was l declared Mr. Denman had asked for a delay while at the offic- of the other it was asserted he merely had asked for more complete information.
 DENMAN'S STATEMENT I MT. Denmans s statement. accepting for i the shipping board and the corporation responsibility for the snipbuilding pro gramme, given to the press tonight, reads: we requested of General Goethals certain information concerning his | programme for the expenditure of the s75o, ,ooO, 900 of public money of which 1 the Presidents executive order has | made the board and the corporation responsible. If the project has reached 1 the condition of preparedness, which l 1t has been asserted it had reached, the information could have been fur nished in two hours: or we could have been told if the information was not in hand.
 When we do get the information in writing we will take up with Genera. Goethals a discussion of all the mat ters involved in the project of build ing ships What we want is speedy
 construction of ships, reasonable prices
 for steel in ship fabrications and re-