Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-15
MIGHTY FLEET NEEDED TO WIN,
ADMIRAL BOWLESS WARNING

continued from PAGE Ono
termaster's Depa . nent Il. S. NJ. c.; Il. Q
Dixon. Federal export agent for the Phila
delphia district, and w j. Conen and Il
). Mckaig, of the Chambers shipping COM
| mittee
Rear Admiral Bowles said that the
| Emergency Fleet Corporation was burdened
| with the responsibility Of building great
| merchant marine fleet for the United states
| and that the vital necessity of this fleet
| could not be too forcibly brought home.
| SHIPS NECESSARY FOR VICTORY
You must realize" said he. that all the
| existing tonnage under the American flag
| and all the tonnage which can be spared
| by the Allies is inadequate for the task
! already laid upon 1t. even though the army
| takes but small fraction of H. The path
| of the United States In the war depends
| upon the creation of new ships.
THE Fleet Corporation has placed con-
tracts for wooden ships, about 400 in num-
ber. with an aggregate dead weight tonnage
of 100000 tons. II has placed contracts
for the construction Of something more than
400 steel ships. with a dead weight tonnage
of about 100000 tons. II has taken over
all vessels now building in American ship
yards under private contract, for United
states contract-and trust they will
always remain under the United states
ilag--and these. numbering about 400 have
an aggregate tonnage Of about 100000
tons. The total, of vessels In various stages
Of completion. is now about 100000 tons.
THE wooden ships, contracted for under
n program born In hast. controversy and
trouble, will, in my opinion. continue to give
trouble throughout their existence. The
first steel vessel ordered by the Government
Is now nearing completion
"The shipbudcrs of the United states,
which will have in 1918 but one customer
the people of the United States dealing
through the Emergency Fleet CORPORATION
and the Navy pepartmcnt--arc called upon
TO produce ten or twelve times the product
that they ever produced before When
you consider that the shiphuilding industry
has never been profitable and that the
shipbuilders are now called upon to adopt
the methods of other Industries which have
been profitable. you can realize the inn
mensity of the difficulties in their way.
GREAT DEMAND FOR wORKMEN
"The Emergency Fleet Corporation is now
dealing with 116 shipyards, of whom not
half have the amount of labor they need,
From 200 900 to 100000 new workers must
be engaged to complete the tonnage needed
in 1918. The Emergency Fleet Corporation
has created an industrial service depart
ment and is in communication with all the
shpyards in regard to the men they will
need They report "A total of $1,000 men
now employed and that they will need an
additional 10000 by January. but that they
have had no trouble in getting them, In
view of the fact that their own returns
show that they have been losing employees
at the rate of 225.O00 L year, however, 1t
is clear that they must employ three times
the number they now have in order to main
tain their force without loss. The prob
lem is to build up the 1905 men of today
to the 100000 needed at the beginning of
1913.
MANY shpyards apparently keep no rec
i,,, arJ thnfp Iah hnr hn,.,
central employment agency. None seem
to know why this enormous number of dis
charges has to be made. / am not crti-
czing the shipbuilders. I am apologizing
for them. Who can blame them, when
their hiring and firing is done by fore
men already harassed by more than they
can do?
But the Emergency Fleet Corporation
has pointed out to them that they cannot
be permitted to bid ag inst each other for
labor and steal men from each other 1t
has pointed out that the available talent
must be uniformly and justly distributed
1t has pointed out that the only proper
way to obtain the additional men needed
is to train the workers of allied trades to
become shipbuilders. These recommended
tions have been approved by the ship
builders, but still they almost poweress
to carry them out I need hardly tell you
that there 'are always some people who |
won't play the game fair.
SHIPBUILDING SCHOOL STARTED. |
ITO provide this army of skilled ship |
yard workers, the corporation is establish |
ing a sort of shipbuilding Plattsburg to |
which men will be sent to be trained and |
to train others. We believe that within the |
next six months we will have created |
nearly $4,000 skilled workers for the ship |
yards in this way.
Recently we held a conference in Wash