Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-24
us. TOHAVE 1272
MERCHANT SHIPS
Program Calls for Great
Fabrication Plant on
Hog Island
433 ARE CONTRACTED FOR
WASHINGTON, Aug. "a.

WASHINGTON, Aug. "a.
| Americas wartime shlpbuilding and COM
Wandering program, which includes great
fabrication plant on Hog Island. was re-
yea,ed accurately for the first time today.
when completed the United states will
! have In It's emergency merchant fleet 1872
| ships. with total tonnage OK 796s,60o.
| This program from start to finish VIII cost
| 81 934,500,000
The building program includes 433 ships
already contracted for Mt cost OF $685.
| 900 900; SAG ships for which contracts are
| now ready, to cost s455,000.00O. and 237
| ships under negotiation, which will cost
s1o4 900 900 In addition 150 miscellaneous
cargo carrying vessels will be built at cost
/ of sl94, 900. 900.
The whole building program Will cost
81 .269. 500 900. OF this amount only $780,
900. 900 has been authorized thus far.
The communicating program will require
s5l5 900 900 OF this amount $3.50 900. 900
has already been authorized by Congress
The purchase program will require $3.50.
600. 600 to carry out
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918.
the Shipping Board will require a total Of
So15.O00. 900. The total additional sum
eventually needed 10 carry out the S1.934,-
500, 600 program ia Sl,134 500, 900, as but
$500 600, 600 has been authorized thus far
These figures have been sent to the
Secretary of the Treasury and will go to
Congress az soon as Mr. McAdoo makes a
thorough examination Of them
Construction Of destroyers for the navy
will wrest first place In the shipbuildlng
program from the emergency war merchant
feet Secretary Of the Navy Daniels has
ordered that the four or Ave biggest yards
shall turn all their energies toward COM
a. ha kttt
as soon as the vessels on the stocks in these
yards are launched
storm Of protest has come from ship
ping men all over the country on account
Of the order it became known today. They
have pointed out to Secretary Daniels that
the best aims of the nation may not be
served by making the Construction of mer-
chantmen in any sense secondary to build
Ing naval ships.
In spite of these protests. Mr.. Daniels
has remained firm. He will insist that his
order be carried out While the great
capacity OF the yards affected is utilized
solely in building vessels OF war, the ship
ping men state Great Britain will turn her
attention almost exclusively to the con-
struction OF merchant ships. Americas pros
pective feet Of cargo carriers will be cut
down very materially. This plea has not
moved the determination of the Secretary.
The 150 additional destroyers are to be
used in the presert war for the benefit of all
the enemies Of Germany, the shipping men
point out while .reat Britaln's shipbuild-
ing activities are turned to building mer-
chant vessels for ser own benefit. II has
been pointed out to Mr. Daniels. 1t was
learned today, that after the war the
United States will be saddled with q huge
fleet Of destroyers and a diminished fleet of
merchant vessels as result of the de-
stroyer program. while England will reap
additional benefits from her policy OF stick
ing closely to building commercial vessels,
Shipping interests arc planning further
appeals to the Secretary of the Navy. They
frankly admit, however. that they see little
hope of changing the attitude Of Mr. Dam
iels. They maintain that so far as the
yards are concerned there is no difference
| in profit for them in building either type of
vessel. Their attitude is dictated solely by
| consideration OF the best advantage to the
country in meeting after r-the-war conditions
and competitions, they assert,