The theocrat., 1918-05-25
News of the World
&C. B. W.)
ASTONISHING PROGRESS IN AMERICAN
SHIPBUILDING
&C.. B. W.

Charles M. Schwab, director general of the
emergency fleet corporation, makes the state
ment that shipbuilding operations are moving
along with vim, and that every month will
show big increase in the output Of vessels.
He says:
"We are called upon now to produce between
100000 and 100000 tons of ships. Great
as this may seem, [ have no hesitancy in saying
that you will be astonished by the ability OF
the United States to build ships.
During this month we will place into the
service one 1OO0O-ton ship every day. By Oct
ober or November we ought to be producing two
big ships every working day OF ofthemonth, andby
the middle Of next year, when the great demand
for ships will be before u.s. we ought to be pro-
ducing at the rate of three to four big 10000
ton ships per day."
The editorial writer of the Chicago Herald
and Examiner has this to say
'EWhat this Shipping Board has accomplished
in spite of tremendous obstacles is little short
of miraculous y
'EIn solving this problem the Shipping Board
has had to build from the ground up.
"We had almost ceased to build ships in
America With the exception Of few wide
ly scattered shipyards, shipbuilding had almost
become lost art. Trained shipbuilders were
few, and every man of them, and every one Of
the old shipyards, had been pressed into service
to build vessels of war, and to fill the orders
placed by foreign owners and by private con-
Germs in America.
'There was not one shipyard in the nation
that could accept contract to build a mer-
chant vessel for the Shipping Board.
"Every yard was filled to capacity, and be-
fore any ships could be built it was necessary
to provide new shipyards and enlarge the old
yards, to enlist mechanics and train them IN
shipbullding- short, to create In the shortest
time possible A PRACTICALLY NEW INDUS
TRY ON A GIGANTIC SCALE.
"There were in all 81 steel shipyards in
America in April 1917 with a total Of 1852 ship
building ways, and "A wooden shipyards with
73 ways making 235 shipbuilding ways in all.
F'The board has provided 80 new steel ship
yards with 203 ways, has built 33 new ways in
the old yards, and has provided 81 new wooden
shipyards with 259 ways, making total of
730 berths upon which merchant ships can be
constructed, and giving to AMERICA BY FAR
THE GREATEST SHIPBUILDING CAPACI-
TY IN THE WORLD MORE THAN DOUBLE
THE CAPACITY OF ENGLAND'S SHIP
YARDS AFTER NEARLY FOUR YEARS OF
WAR n y "a
GA few years ago there were less than $4,000
men all told employed in American shipyards
This number has been increased to 100000, of
whom 70,599 are working in actual ship con-
struction, and the remainder in completing the
yards and ways and in other branches of the
industry. In addition, there has been recruited
volunteer force of 25OO00 skilled mechanics,
who are held in reserve in their present employ
ments until called to the yards as the new ways
become ready for the laying Of the keels.
'For the direction and supervision of the
work training school has been established at
Newport News. from which lis experts have
already been graduated and sent out as in
Structors." r"