Arizona republican., 1917-06-08

After taking charge of the building program General Goethals turned to steel construction and limited the wooden program to not more than 250 ships in IS months. MT. Eustis and MT. Clark contend the cor Ioratioa can build 2,OOO wooden ships within that time without interfering with steel building.
 General Goethals could not he seen tonight for comment on the state ments.
 Chairman Denn of the shipping board, who has been represented as opposing General Goethals' plans to restrict wooden building, said:
 None of the members of the ship p.ng board had any knowledge of the statement attributed to the er- s..leera. MT. Eustis anl Mr. Clark, intim+ ting a refusal by General Goethals to build any wooden ships as he might, TOT had thry the slight est intimation that they were tn be issued. General Goethals, as head Of the emergency fleet corporation. in the service of which they have heen acting, has ertire responsibility fer the shipbuilding program, wood and steel
 'The board has. not insisted that either wood or steel be given prefer ence. All that we desire is the maxi mum of quickly conSt-ut ted tonnage, for immediate war necessities.
 T have previously iadicated my opinion as to places where discus sion of such a serious character should he initiated. Apparently these gentlemen do not agree with me"
 Mir E,nStiS and Mir Clark are SprN- ing the fleet corporation without pay. Both indicated tonight they expected their resignations would be asked but declared they felt it to be their duty to put the situation before the American people and show then that ships can be built to overcome the German submarine campaign.
 MT Clark's statement said:
 As far as we can learn the present program contemplated about 3,000000 tons of shipping in IS months. This amount was sunk in the first four months of this year and the shortage is already appalling. The wooden ship program has been cut to about one-fifth of its original size-ap- parently to make room for steel ships. | It is possible to build of wood 2,00o,- 900 tons more than are at present contemplated without in the slightest
 
 structon.
 "A crisis in shipping will arise about December and our allies and our sue cess depends on our ability to begin to produce ships by that time. Very few |, steel ships can be produced in time. Even if we build all the wood ships We can in addition to the steel we can only hope for a total of 5,000,000 tons in IS months This is not nearly enough. In deliberately neglecting 2.000,000 tons of wooden ships We are taking terrible chances
 Mir Eustis' statement told of the of fer of ten firms to build 496 wooden ships in twelve months or 1S6 in eight cen months and said:
 Even if some of these contractors should find that they uouid not do quito all they think they can, it must he evil dent to any one that these contractors can produce a great many hulls or ships.
 "Other well known contractors have previously offered to build ships or ! hulls and certainly can be counted on between them for more than 200 ships Entirely in addition to these con t:a tors we have about seventy-five N'ooucn ship builders on our two coasts who can produce some hundreds or ships.
 The question rewains, how much of thia Emergency construction shall we, rs 3 ration, undertake? | do not know | what action the emergency fleet cor poraton will take The country should know what are the possibilities. 1 General Goethais would not comment | tonight on the statements but said he probably would have something to say | tomorrow.