The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-14

further sums.
3. Communicating of ships in
yards:
On Monday 1 shall deliver to ship
builders a. general statement of the
program which 1 have long been ma
turing for communicating ships now
under construction for private &C
count, (such ships have an aggregate
tonnage considerably in excess of l.
100000 tonsO
The essence of this program is to
commander all such ships and e4pe-
dite their construction by adding labor
and cutting out refinements By thus
Federalizing each yard, giving it gov
eminent help and putting 1T on
speed basis, we shall produce its
greatest efficiency. AS fast as the
| berths are cleared each yard will be
devoted to the production of a single
type of tonnage for which 1t is best
suited. I count upon the complete
cooperation of the yards.
This program is made comprehens-
| i've because expedition cannot be OBJ
tanned in yard engaged partly on
| rush work and partly on pre-wartime
schedules. My investigation has sat
| isfied me that citizens of the United
States and of our allies will pay the
! for them and take them off our
| hands. If this policy is adopted, it
| will conserve our fund.
| I agree that it is essential for the
| Shipping Board to requisition at once
| the neutral ships which are construct
| ed and ready to sail. have no data
| to make an estimate as to how many
| Of these ships there are or how much
| money will be required for this pur-
| chase. I shall, therefore. cut my
| program to the extent of s5o,00o.000.
Please notify me at once whether this
| is enough. -
Each days delay in lnamer-in
| communicating or contracting
| means two days loss of time in
( throwing the work into the winter
! months. It is for that reason am
| urgent that the program start on
| Monday.
1t is understood that General Goe-
| thals is prepared to carry out his plan
| for communicating ships on the
stocks, owned by Allies and neutrals,
without moments unnecessary delay
| after his statement to the shipbuild-
| ers Of Monday.
| The assertion In his letter that citi-
zens of the United States and the l.
lies would pay, in his .opinion, the
additional cost of expediting ships now
| building, was assumed to indicate that
| he was not in favor Of taking over the
ownership of vessels which the Allies
are constructing. While the purchase
| and speeding up OF the work would
entail heavy cost If the government
undertook it, some of the members
of the Shipping Board have expressed
the belief thats it should be done SO
| that the United States would find it
/ self in possession of a larger merchant
| marine after the war.
If the United States does not take
/, over the ownership of the ships on
| the stocks which are being built by
i foreign governments and these gov
/ ernments agree to pay the extra cost
of speeding up the construction, the
| ownership will remain In the hands
| of foreign interests. Most Of the l.
| 100000 tons under construction is
4 owned by citizens of Great Britain
A statement made yesterday which
came as something Of a surprise was
that 1t would require eight months
| after the keel was laid to turn out
| wooden ships And about five months
| to construct complete ships of steel
| The estimate was on the basis of the
Ferris design for the wooden ships
The contracts let so far give an aver
age price Of s143 a ton for wooden
ships and $15S a ton for steel con-
struction-
The text Of the executive order is
sued by President Wilson placing the
| power to spend $500, 600 for con-
struction and to commander ships on
the stocks with the Emergency Fleet
Corporation was made available yes
terday. 1t reads:
Executive Order.
By v.r4ue Of the authority
vested in me in the section en-
titled Emergency Shipping
Fund of an act of Congress en-
| titled can Act Making Appro-
priations to Supply Urgent De-
fciencies in Appropriations for
the Military and Naval Establish
ments on Account of War Ex-
penses for the Fiscal Year End
ed June 80, 1917, and for Other
Purposes" approved June Is,
1917. hereby direct that the
United States Shipping Board
Emergency Fleet Corporation
shall have and exercise all power
and authority vested in me in
said section of said act, in SO far
| as dppllCdUic 10 6IlQ III LIZ SiiSh-
ance of the construction of YES
sells, the purchase or requisition-
, ing OF vessels in process OF con-
} struction, whether on the ways
or already launched. or Of con-
} tracts Cor the construction of
such vessels, and the competitor
: thereof, and all power and au-
thority applicable to and in fur
theranee of the production, pur-
, chase, and reduisitioning of ma
} terials for ship construction.
And ! do further direct that
) tht United States Shipping Board
+ shall have and exercise all power
= ands authority vested in me in
: said section of said act, in so far
as applicable to and in further
{ anee of the taking over OF title
Il or possession, by purchase or re-
( QUESTION, of constructed vessels,
II or, parts thereof, or charters
| therein; and the operation, man
: agement and disposition of such
$ vessels, and of all other vessels
heretofore or hereafter acquired
, by the United States. The power
therein delegated to the United
3 States Shipping Beard may in the
discretion of said board be exer-
hxr he caiH