New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-15
Wooden Ship Plan Quickest
For Meeting U-Boat Peril
5b Marine News Saws Men Who Oppose Them Hurt the
Nation-Tels How Clippers Were Founoa'io"
of Countrys Power

with Germany, and how oaslIy uet o
many might have escaped numosim 's
the United States among ner ehe"''
Needs of Others Reused Us
Go j, WAS not the need OF mercnah.
,b;ns for the United States alone tha'
led 70 the undertaking of the construe.
lion Of a new American merehan'
norine-rot at all. The United States;
ga nation. might even have ceaseu
70 be. might have been destroyed w
terIv because of it's lack OF merenah'
sbins for auxiliary naval and m,ll'aly
n,rnoses solely for its own needs pc
fore our people would rouse mem
selves sufficiently to see TO II that sue.
y naval auxiliary American merchaiIs,
marine were created, II the Signs Oh
nrs war time. were any guide AZ All
Had there continued TO be enough
foreign ships for our maritime heeos
cur shipyards would probably DC as
idle to-day as they were Del0Ie s"o
war began. IL was because All ol a
sudden the shipbuilding resources Oh
the world were tremendously VI
tailed, because the worlds shlPpu'Ia.
er-Great Britain-was engageu ~.
strengthening her war fleets, IN IaG'
is still so largely engaged IN strehsIn-
ening her war fleets. that, seemihely'
she is willing TO starve, II heeu oe'
rather TO find herself Lacking IN Wal
ships sufficient in number ana en-
cheney TO enable her 20 preserve
against al the world if she must-her
long -continued and well -estaoIlshe'
world dominion unlmpalred. ....L
The sudden cessation or BRUSH
rnlnlnN
Tho enormous demands OF the Aliies
for merchant ships tor every conee
chi. character of naval and military
- demand that, to-day, is absorb
mo one-half of her tremendous ner
chept shinping-and the unparalleled
destruction of merchant ships by the
uhiouitous submarines Of the Centrai
Allies. whose merchant ships, 10 the
ovtent of millions of tons, have oeeh
laid IN since the beginning oil tne
war-these were the combined conel-
tions that created such demand lot
now tonnage, and regardless OF COST
20 Ell every available American snip
ward TO overlooking and to keep them
busy at their maximum capacity loi
years 10 come.
Merely an Emergency Fleet
II is the war, and the conditions
craving out of the war, that nave
forced the United States into the
building of merchant ships, conditions
rredicated far more largely upon the
necessities of other nations than upon
our own necessities.
And this emergency feet that the
government proposes to construct-De-
cause it is, essentially, an emergency
fleet, its permanence, II II snali De.
come permanent, being an lncidehC
rather than an objective: IT is 10 neip
out our allies, to prevent famine IN
their lands by furnishing them with
food direly needed, TO furnish theH'
with munitions for the furtner prose.
cution of the war, TO carry our own
mon their equipment and their com
missarv to the battlefields and
trenches of Europe, so that they may
nsrt;cinate in war against Germany,
and to help save the Allies from de-
feat. r
Next fall. we are told, the need OF
sbins we should now be building IN
vast numbers, will be acute, the sue
cess or failure of the war, indeed, may.
hinge entirely upon the number OF
Sims we produce in the next SIX
months. because German submarines
are sinking these precious merchant
ships far faster than all the shipyards
in the world combined are reproduc-
ing them. All the steel ships, there
fore. that can be turned out should
he built. must be built, will be built;
but they will not alone suttlce, what
ever expedients we resort TO.
Have Abundance of Timber
building of steel ships in large num-
hers: TO make all the many changes
in different fields Of activity that may
he turned into shipbuilding may easily
occupv all of the months still available
before an accession OF new shlps De,
comes vital need Of our allies and
ourselves. o..
And. meanwhile, providentially, it
might be said. we happen to possess
in the greatest abundance supplies or
shin timber, Immediately, easily and
cheaply available, and places far more
numerous in which to build, or as
semble them than could possibly be
used, men enough, considering the me-
chanical ingenuity and quick adapt
ability of our people, to build in vast
numbers. stout, seaworthy-and, most
OF all. auickly-wooden ships that, tenn
porarily, at least, will serve the re-
auirements as well, or nearly as well,
as steel ships would.
President Wilson will commit one
of the greatest perhaps the most ir-
reparable mistakes of his admins
tration if he fails to command that
every resource of the nation for the
building of wooden ships be availed OF
to the uttermost so long as German
submarine possesses freedom enough
Of the seas to continue the frightful
and ruthless destruction of merchant
ships!