Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-25
DRAFT OF LABOR.
MAY BE NECESSARY
Commandeering or Con-
scription Discussed Here
by Shipbuilders
SPEED VITAL TO VICTORY

and commandeerng of labor In order to aid
the Governments shipbuilding program was
discussed this afternoon at a conference
Of the Atlantic Coast Shipbuilders' Asso-
ciation In the BellevueStratford at
o'ciocIS The meeting was held behind closed
doors. So critical has the tonnage situa-
tion become that prominent Official or the
New York Shipbuding Company said today
that conscription and communicating OF
labor Is the only method in sight of provid
ing SUFFICIENT ships to combat the submarine
nnennce, and to arrange for the Gansporta-
ton OF an army of 100000 to France by
spring.
The need Of prompt action was empha-
sized by Lord Northcliffe speaking before
the Chicago Chamber of Commerce last
night The head of the special English
mission TO this country said that unless we
speed up the shlpbuildng program all our
recruiting and all our war preparation will
have been in vain
Cheering news came to the shipping men
from Washington this morning in the form
Of an announcement that skilled workers
needed in shipyards and other war indus
tries would be placed in a special class in
the next seective draft. The shipping men.
however, said It was not the fear of losing
the men they now have which is causing
worry but It is the inability TO get skilled
artisans they need Immediately.
The warning of Lord Northcffe, shipping
men admitted here today is of the highest
Importance to Philadelphia, for as Score
tary Of War Baker told the war convention
Of the United States Chamber Of Com
merce in Atlantic City recently, Philadel-
phia has become the shipbuiding center of
America and this is war of ships, 1t
has become In sense Philadelphias war
Frankly admitting the graveness of the
situation the New York Shipbuildng Com
pany official said that the shipbuiding pro-
gram was facing partial failure, first be-
cause of lack of cooperation at the begin
ming between the army heads and the ship
ping board, and second, because the shipping
men themselves made their calculations of
what they could do in the line of building
Whips upon the basis of what their trained
men had been doing and without consider
ing that their fc.Se of trained men would
be greatly depleted by the establishment of
new yards and plants
WOULD GET SKILLED LABOR
Illustrating how this would work out in
specific case he said that by conscription
OF labor the Government would gain con-
troll of all classes Of artisans and mechanics
and next would come the actual com.
Wandering.
For instance, we will assume" he said,
'that the Federal authorities decided it was
not essential to the proper prosecution of
the war for the plant Of some big non-war
company to be continued at full force, and
we will assume that there is certain class
Of skilled mechanics at this plant which
could be used In the building of ships.
Inc government would tnen take these
as a group, transfer them to the ship
building plants, where their efficiency would
be hundred per cent greater than the
average workman picked up anywhere.
'"rhe shortage of labor is not so serious
as is the shortage of trained labor. Take
for instance plant employing 1000 trained
men who understand their work With the
erection of the big. new establishments for
shipbuilding it is likely that this plant lost
fully SO per cent of its men. But that is
not all With the imperative demand for
speed this plant doubled its force and in
stead Of having a ratio of one trained man
70 every two you would have one to every
four"
NORTHCLIFFE SURPRISES TRIGG
The answer Of Mr. Trgg TO Lord North
cliffe's criticism follows:
The statement made by Lord North
cliffe in his speech before the Chicago Asso-
ciation of Commerce. last night to the effect
that he saw no signs of concerted effort to
build the 100000 tons needed to transport
our army TO France is received by the peo-
pie of Philadelphia With considerable sur
prise.
THE need for ships to act as transports
and TO carry munitions and supplies TO the
army which the United States is to send
10 France was clearly seen by our Govern
ment when entering upon the present war
program One of the first acts after the
declaration of war with Germany was the
creation OF war Shlpplng Board.
This board. through the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, is now at work upon a
construction program involving a total Of
1893 ships. OF these 353, with a total dead
weight tonnage of l.253,90O, are wooden
ships flfty-eight, with total dead weight
tonnage of 100000, are composite; a25
with total dead weight tonnage of 663,-
500, are steel; while 403 vessels of various
types above $500 tons, building for private
account. both foreign and American, and
aggregating 100000 dead weight tons
were eommandeered in course of construc-
tion. and nearly all of these will be COM
pleted by the Emergency Fleet Corpora
ton.
''This gives a total dead weight tonnage
under construction at the present time OF
B,924.700 tons.
1T is to be regretted that Lord North
cliffe did not come to Philadelphia before
he made his speech in Chicago. Had he
done so, he would never have said that he
saw no signs of the required 5000 900 tons
by 1913. We, in Philadelphia, know that
the shipyards along the Delaware are now
working TO their utmost capacity that new
yards are springing up almost overnight
This city has for many years led the coun-
try in the construction of ships. To the
great plants that have for years lined the
Delaware there have been added. since the
beginning Of the great European war seven
new yards.
'For obvious reasons, figures cannot he
given which indicate the amount of ton
mage that is now being built in the great
shipyards Of Philadelphia but 1t is a source
Of just pride to every Phladephian "a
know that large percentage of the great
emergency fleet which is now being built
by the Government will, within the next
few months, be launched from the Ship
yards Of PHILADELPHIA"