The Washington herald., 1918-09-09
SHIP EQUIPMENT
EQUALSDEMAND
Youngstown District Work
ers Meet Shipbuilders'
Speed, Says Holland.

F. F. Soaring, who has been for
some weeks in charge of that depart
ment under the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration. which is occupied with at
tempts to speed the workingmen up
to the highest degree of efficiency, re-
turned this morning from Youngstown,
Ohio. which is the central point for
the wonderful war industry which has
been established in Ohio, western New
York, West Virginia and western
Pennsylvania.
Youngstown was before the war one
of the great Industrial centers of the
middle west Its growth has been rapid
since the day when John III. Flagler
established there an industry which
in time became one OF the most i'm
portant in the United States. But
rapid as has been the growth Of this
industrial center. there was not the
slightest comprehension of what the
Industrial activities there would be
after the United States entered into
the war and there began under Chair
man Hurley and Charles NJ. Schwab
a shipbuilding undertaking, which
within a year, has made the United
States the greatest shipbuilding nation
in the world.
Mr. ocdTlnB sdlO thls morning
that there are in the Youngstown
district which comprises the COM
munities mentioned a few lines
above. considerably over 500, 900 in
dustrial workers who are now oc,,
cupied in manufacturing boilers.
machinery and equipment with
which the ships will be provided as
fast as they are built Many of
fhasa yUnrLyars 20
this occupation a year and a half
ago, and 1T has been not the least
remarkable OF the DEVELOPMENTS
which have followed our shipbuiId
ing program that almost all Of them
within the course Of few weeks or
months at most have become skilled
artisans.
In addition to the efficiency which
! now distinguishes this industry in
the Youngstown district there also
prevails remarkable degree of en-
thusiasm. A sort of esprit de corps
characterizes these skilled artisans.
They are. proud of their work and
the Stacker is practically unknown.
The Noon-Dny Meetings.
One of the valuable features asso-
ciated with the relation Of the
Emergency Fleet Corporation to
this work is the noon day meeting.
Every day at one or more of the
plants the workmen gather at some
| convenient place and listen to ad-
dresses which are made BY speak,
ers who have been sent under the
authority of DIR. Charles A. Eaton
who is in charge of this depart
ment of the shipping industry to
address the wOrkingmen. They
| gladly curtan their lunch hour
Every appeal to loyalty and to
maintaining the spirit which char
acterizes the American people with
respect TO the war is enthusiastic
ally applauded. All these indus
trial workers have taken a pledge
not to abandon their work as long
as the government needs them and
to do anything which President
Wilson or the Emergency Fleet
Corporation. which represents the
PRESIDENT requests them to do. OF
course IN so large a body of in
dustrial workmen as the Younes-
town district contains there are a
good many men who are of German
descent. some even of German birth
But it has been observed that none
of these fall behind the American
workmen so far as giving LOYAL SUP
port to the demands of this gov
ernment.
The ships which are now making
VIII be equipped as soon as they are
launched with all the neccary ma
terial for their navigation. The in
dustrial woTkmen have kept pace
with the shipbuilders and the United
states has now become not only the
leading nation in the world so far rs
the building of ships is concerned but
also the leading nation in the world
so far as the manufacture and INSTALL
ment OF necessary equipment are con-
| cerned. 80.
There must be at the present time
considerably over 100000 skilled arti-
sans occupied in the building Of ships
! and in the manufacture of eduinment
for them. This number is to be in
creased and it would not be surpris-
ing If by the end OF the year it were
possible to report that at least 1000, =
." American workmen skilled in the
Duildlng or ships and in the manu-
| tacture of equipment for them are at
work.
one Thing War Has Done
[ NViiAdHN anu Great Britain CONTROL
| led much of the greater part of the
| South American trade before the
European war began. Germany built
up an extensive trade with South
| American countries and her success in
/ doing this led some of the influential
men Of finance of this city to doubt
whether Germany would risk her
| South American trade by beginning n
war which would certainly impair that
| trade. :
The United States had made some
attempt to capture a fair share Of the
Latin-American trade but was not
very successful until the European
war cut off South American markets
| from Great Britain and Germany.
Today it is possible for Washington
authorities to report that in the
! twelve months which ended on June
| 30th Of this year the United States
| sold in the Latin-American- markets
| commodities. almost all of which
were manufactured articles, of the
| aggregate value of nearly $3.50, 900. 600.
| This is a wonderful jump from our
| trade with South America as to what
it was a few years ago. 1t is ten
times greater in money value than
our trade with Latin-America as il
| was twenty years ago.
| We are still a debtor nation TO
| South America for our imports in
the twelve months which ended on
June 80 were of the money value OF
| s., ,O3O, 600. 900. Therefore in a single
| year We have maintained interna-