The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-06-10
RAPID INCREASE
IN SHIPYARD FORCE
Less Than Year Ago There Were Less
Than 10000 Men Employed, and
Now There are Over Half
a Million.

Washington, ID. c., June l0.Less thar
year ago there were not $4,000 mel
employed in American shipyards. To-day
there are more than 10000 skilled me
chanics and laborers engaged in build
ing ships, and an additional 100000 en-
| ployed in making the engines, boilers
winehes and other machinery necessary
TO equip them.
| This tremendous expansion by which
| the United States hopes to put into serv-
| ice a new merchant marine that viii
rival the trading feet of any nation in
the world has been accomplished in
methodical fashion, without any fuss
and feathers" but achieving result that
industry long viii regard as one Of the
most brilliant victories OF the war. 1t
has been brought about by he shipping
board through recognition of the prin-
ciple that unframed men can beco lie
skilled workmen only through competent
instruction. One of the first tasks of
the shipping board, therefore, was the
creation of a division uf education and
training. which has supervised --e es
tablishnent Cd training centers and ~
development Of instructors among the
foremen and superintendent.
Training of the various k, DIS of ship
builders m the yards is accomplished
by putting the men TO work ON produc
tion jobs, under the supervision Of a
yard instructor. This yard instructor
has full charge of gangs while they are
learning. The efficiency of green ga 7.
under truining will average about so pr
cent of finished workmen.
Yard instructors are skilled mechanics
trained in the teaching method. This
training is given in training cen
ter. where the mechanic is given
an idea of INSTITUTIONAL manage
ment, and how to get the instructions
across effectively.
The first training center was estab
Hshed at Newport News To it were
sent skilled mechanics, sci tcted frJ-n |
the yards. They were given six weeks |
course of training, eight hours a day |
During the last part of this course they |
were obliged to spend forty Tours in
the actual handling of gangs of green
men. Yard instructors are drawn from |
4 variety of trades, such as riveters.
ship filters, ship carpenters, caulkees,
tic.
Twenty-Five plants have :. nj men for
raining as yard instructors. 2l6 of these
men have completed their trimming an
a are now in training.
In addition te the training center es-
ablfshed in Newport News, there are
low several others established; at H =
island, at Chester, Pa, at the submarine
rard at Newark, n, j., and two special
enters for the training If electric weld
RS at Schenectady, N. Y, and at New
FORK City.
So far, Is yards have pot in training
apartments. One yard instructor can
rain about $50 men each year The
eriod Of training for geen man varies
rom two TO eight weeks. One yard has
lready trained enough yard instructors !
. the training centers to turn out week |
Y 300 skilled mechanics within the
ard
In addition to the training of green {
len, there exists the pr ,blem of TAX
~ men who are already skilled in al i
ed trades, but have never worked in I
hipyards, and making them into ship s
uilders. This is called trade CONVEX r
ton course and consists essentially of
etermining what supplementary work |
xilled mechanic from the allied trades b
Iust have in order to give him the mes O
'ssry knowledge to do shipbuilding Y
ork. Special instructors are employed b
a number of plants TO meet this sit /
alton.
By training foremen and managers, N
lie shipping board has been able TO de- =
flop in year the building of wooden ;
lips which had been long lost art,
I'd workmen in many yards have in l.
eased in efficiency more than - per
mt. Where we have cffislenc manage
emit we have efficient workers" Chair
an Hurley declared to-day "vou can't I
pect TO have efficient workmen in an
efficiently managed shipvsrd nor can
u expect good results. -0ur shipyafd
Drkers generally are as fine body OF So
en- as Is engaged in any industry in n.
is country. They arc a patriotic ir- g
istrious group. and while In many az
ris they are not a., eff lent as We 60
,uld like TO have them they are lesra- he
2 daily and are increasing their out ia
4. When the history OF cur ship N
ilding program is written, tie Ameri- ell
n workmen. the men who really bull:
E ships, will be the men deserving Of CO
= credit that may be due" IA