Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-12-22
He Tells Senate Investigating
Committee That if Merchant
Ships Are Not Finished He
Alone viii Be Responsible,
UNDER NEW ORGANIZATION
WORKED TO BE SPEEDED UP.
Problems That Had to Be Over
come Were Many Navy Had
Control of Nearly All Ship.
Yards at Beginning,
10y MORNING ousuAL SPECIAL LEASED wlssl

Washington, Dec. 21.-Full respon-
sibility for the success or failure of
the governments shipbuilding pro-
gram was shouldered today by Chair
man Hurley of the shipping board,
testifying at the senate co nlnerce
committees investigation of delays in
ship construction.
Called as the first witness in the
inquiry Mr., Hurley admitted that
there have been delays but declared
that the recent reorganization of the
boards emergency fleet corporation
for the first time gives the chairman
of the board proper authority aid
fixes responsibility where 1t belongs.
The dual organization of the board
and the corporation, he said has been
done away with and the present gen
eral manager of the corporation an
swers directly to the chairman.
Need No Legislation.
The present organization" Mr..
Hurley said, "is the only way that
ships can be built. We do rot need
additional legislation. If the head Of
it is because of his inefficiency and
not because of faults of the organiza-
tion"
From Mr.. Hurley and John A. Don
aid, who has been member OF the
board since its creation, the commit
tee drew a long story of the troubles
of the board and the fleet corpora
ton, starting with the row at the out
set between William Denman. first
chairman of the board, and Major
General Goethals, first general man
ager of the fleet corporation.
Specifications Often Changed.
Besides organization faults, factors
which have contributed to the delay
in ship construction were given by
Mr.. Hurley as the navy's utilization Of
shipbuilding facilities, labor troubles,
lack of housing for workers, the rec
essity of building new shipyards and
changes in specifications of ships.
The changes in specifications were
made in wooden vessefs two mouths
ago, after some of them already wcte
under construction.
They were made, Mr.. Hurley said,
by Admiral Capps and his staff of
designers when it became apparent
that the ships as contracted for origi-
nally needed larger timbers to
strengthen them.
Labor Situation Better.
The labor situation, Mr.. Hurley
said, is improving and the shipping
board is cooperating with the war
and navy departments and the coun-
Gil Of national defense, and is work
ing on a comprehensive housing plan.
Mr.. Hurley told of the difficulties
the old board and the new had in get
ting the building program started.
The board found, he said, when IL
started out to build ships, that eigh-
teen of the largest yards in the coun-
try were crowded with navy work ar d
that new facilities must be provided.
at is hardly fair to say that the
newly created facilities shall from the
very day they have been put In oper-
alton produce ships at their maxi
mum capacity" he urged Thine Is
necessary for expansion and for the
development of necessary labor"
New Yards Built.
The shipping board began its pro-
gram, Mr. Hurley said, with only
thirty-eight shipyards existing in the
country. Since then seventy-four en-
tirely new yards have been created.
THE work thus far ne said, has
been in many cases preparatory and
has carried with it the usual amount
of annoyance and disappointment.
But this preparatory period is rapidly
getting behind us and the period of
the actual ship construction in full