Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-03-29

A, MARCH 20 1918
that ships are not built overnight.
When we took hold OF this Job OF ship
building we found there was no ship
yard in existence with which we could
place an order. The old yards were
filled to capacity. We were faced with
the necessity Of creating an entirely
new industry. We had to establish
the yards first, get the shipbuilders to
| take charge Of them and train the men
to build the ships.
An Uphill Struggle.
There were thirty -seven steel ship
yards in America at the time of our
entrance into the war. We have To-
| Gated eighty-on additional steel and
wood yards, while eighteen other yards
| have been expanded. We are building in
the new and expanded steel yards 23b
| new steel shipways or twenty six more
than at present exist in all the ship
Yards of England. If we had been
content with doing the job in a small
way, we might have built few new
yards and added a little to our ca
pacity. A few ships might have been
finished more quickly, but it was the
spirit and will of America to do the
job in a big way. and the judgment OF
the country will be vindicted by the
results when all these new ways are
completed and are turning out ships.
America then will be the greatest mari
time nation in the history Of the
world
1T has been an uphill struggle. !
am willing to confess there have been
times when we have been discouraged,
not at the magnitude of the task. but
through q doubt Of human ability to
accomplish the stupendous work in the
short time allowed.
1.-THE total amount Of our steel con-
struction program on March I was
| S.205, 7GS deadweight tons. This is made
up of 5,1s0,a00 lightweight tons under
contract with the Emergency Fleet
Corporation and 3.045,4Os lightweight
ton Of requsition vessels.
Figures Show Progress.
"Of this total steel construction,
2,121,56S lightweight tons. or approxi-
mately % per cent has been completed,
That means that in addition to the
building OF our big new yards we have
also been building ships. That is, the
program Of steel ships has advanced
% per cent toward completion. OF the
amount OF steel ships under contract
and under requisition, 6o5.45S dead
weight tons, or approximately per
cent, were actually completed and in
service on March of this year nearly
a month ago. This amount Of floating
tonnage exceeds our total output in
1916. including steel, wooden, and sail
ing vessels, but approximately 50 per
cent.
Notwithstanding the difficulties OF
organization, the handicaps Of bad
weather conditions. transportation en-
barsoes. and railroad congestion, near
" as much tonnage has been construct
cd in American shipyards in the last
three months as by all the other mari
time nations Of the world combined.
Warning to Labor.
ut would be useless to manufac-
ture material and supplies and pile up
the products on the wharves if there
are no ships to transport them. SO.
unless our ship workers do their best,
other industries must slow down or
halt completely, with the result that
thousands of workers thruout the
country will suffer for lack Of employ
ment.
"I believe that labor has begun to
realize that fact, but / want to drive
it home to Them for there are some.
I regret to say, who do not yet sense
their responsibility. There are many
who are not working to their full ca
pac!ty. There are many who, because
OF the high wages they are earning,
are prone to take too many holidays.
Labor generally turnout our ship
yards is today receiving the highest
rate of wages ever paid for similar
work in the history Of the world. The
additional cost OF our ships, due to in
creased wages in the shipyards, cover
ing the program we have mapped out.
will be IN excess Of 5000 600. we
expect, and we have right to expect,
the country has a right to expect that
labor will render for this increase OF
wages a corresponding increase in pro-
duction--that is. the output OF ships.
$4,000 Men Employed.
1--WE have established labor adjust
ment board whose complete fairness
cannot be questioned. The scale OF
wages awarded by this board has been
most liberal. We have not blamed
labor for the reduced average output
in various yards. There are some labor
restrictions which we would like TO
have removed restrictions against
output. We would like to see the
whole body Of labor put forth its maxi
mum effort, encouraging each individ-
ual workman to do his best. without
any fear Of establishing new average
standards when they increase the out
put.
IN 1916 there were less than $4,000
men employed in all the shipyards OF
the country and on March 2. 1918, we
had increased this number to 23S, 900.
Nothing to Conceal.
There is no doubt but that we are
destined to be one Of the leading ship
building nations of the world. We will
have the largest number of shipyards,
the materials and the labor. and when
our shipbuilding plants are completed
and are we'll organized on sound busi-
ness lines so as to produce ships cheap
Nv and rapidly we will not only produce
sufficient ships to become the leader IN
-. .-,,,.,oa - tha world Inv filFniS II.