New-York tribune., 1918-08-22
CORES of Firms Cannot Get
Contracts, H. S. Spears
Asserts
Work Permits Denied
Many Factories Looking for
BUSINESS in Vain, West
ern Man Says
By Theodore M. Knappen

W.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21.-The diff
..,snce between the Shipping Board
.,d the army in regard to the building
=, concrete vessels by the latter have
mt vet been adjusted. 1t appears that
tho conclusion of the priorities commits
s;oner Of the War Industries Board that
everything relating to shipbuliding
should be cleared through the Shipping
Board was NOPE in the nature of ad-
vice than of an order
The transport officials are determined
to 20 ahead with their plans for build
ing large number of concrete and
other vessels in addition to those they
mad contracted for.
The largest contractor is the West
Coast Shipbuilding Company, of Ev-
srett, Wash, which has or is building
Yards at Everett and Wilmington, N. c.,
and holds contracts for fourteen con-
crete river steamers and five car fer
ries. H. B. Spear, president of the
company, maintains that his work does
not interfere in the slightest degree
with the activities of the Shipping
Board and the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration.
Permit Refused by Hurley
Mr.. Spear said to-day: eff thought
that what am doing was setting back
the general shipbaildlng programme
would quit now. When l undertook to
build concrete vessels on private ac-
count consulted the Shipping Board
st every step. The housing depart
ment gave me clearance, and so also
the transportation, legal and concrete
departments, it being their judgment
that would not get in the way of the
board. l laid my plans before William
Piggott, who looks after the wooden
ship work on Puget Sound, and before
Captain Blaine, who is in charge Of
steel ships there for the Shipping
Board They cleared us on the labor
phase and recommended that we be
permitted to proceed.
after thus being favorably passed
upon by all the different departments
concerned a permit was refused by
Messrs. Hurley and Piez. | took my
medicine and gave up the private work.
Then when the army people advertised
for bids for concrete boats l supposed
Twas within my rights in making ten
ders and proceeding with the work
after the contracts were awarded to
our company.
Enough Accessory Makers
'Messrs Schwab and Piez have dwelt
on the difficulties of procuring equip
ment, but / have had no trouble in
getting it. and from manufacturers
who are without Shipping Board work.
| have long list of such concerns,
which leads me to believe that the
boards troubles in this regard are due
to the fact that they have not distrib
uted their orders widely enough and
have not therefore modified the ac-
cessory makers of the country.
There are many competent compa-
MES that have little or no work and are
looking for business when all such
concerns are alleged to have all they
can do in meeting the Shipping Boards
requirements. l think that a canvass
o! the country would reveal hundreds
Of similar cases. So I am forced to
conclude that the Shipping Board is in
error in holding that the manufacture
ers of the country cannot provide
power and other equipment for a con-
crete ship programme, in addition to
'ne wooden and steel ships.
Women Workers Used
"As for labor, we are Just as
acrupulous to keep out of the way
Of the Shipping Board We are ar
nnglng to employ from 300 to 500
women in each of our plants. At the
Wilmington plant General Goethals is
nrning over to US some hundreds of
west Indian negro laborers, whom he
bringing up for stevedoring and
osner work at Charleston. We refuse
memploy any person who has worked
% any Shipping Board contracts with
~ sixty days. We are not lifting a
single man.
r., instead Of interfering with the
ssnlpplng Board people, we are really
neiping to economic the labor and
material OF the country and are open
.ag up new sources of supplies. Our
*o,k on the army contracts was we'll
under way when Mr.. Hurley entered
as protest. We can hardly be ex-
rected to stop now unless General
uoe.nals should order US to do so.
: AS matter of fact. we are proceed
i.ag with the work just az if nothing
.a aao happened. We have read some
.e'ng IN the papers about the position
tne War Industries Board, but we
aaYe mad no order from it to stop
ever" ""As-