Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-06-12
30O,OOO MIN NOW AT WORK IN US.
 BUILDING SHIPS
Another Quarter Million Engaged on Engines,
 Boilers, Machinery.

Washington, June 11.-Less than a year ago there were not 45,000 men employed in American shipyards, To- day there are more than 300n 900 skilled mechanics and laborers engag- ed in building ships, and an additional 250,000 emplo .aed in making the en- zines, boilers, winches and other ma chinery necessary to equip them.
 This tremendous expansion by which the United States hopes to put into service new merchant marine that will rival the trading fleet of any nation in the world has been ac- complished in methodical fashiin without any fuss and feathers" but achieving g. result that industry long will regard as one of the most bril- liant victories of the war It has been brought about by the Shipping Board through recognition of the principle that untrained men can become skill ed wOrkmen only through competent instruction. One of the first tasks of the Shipping Board, therefore, was the creation of Division of Educa- tion and Training, which has super :?
  centers and the development of in- structors among the foreman and superintendents
 Training of the various kinds of shipbuilders in the yards is accom- plished by putting the men to work on production jobs. under the supp vision of yard instructor. This yard instructor has full charge of gangs while they are learning The efficien- cy of green gang under training will average about 80 per cent of finished wcrkmen.
 Yard instructors are skilled mech an'cs trained in the teaching method. This training is given in a trainng center, where the mechanic is given an dea of instructional management, and how to get the instructions across effectively.
 he first training center was estab- lished at Newport News. To it were sent skilled mechanics, selected from the yards. They were were given a. six weeks course of training, eight hours a day. During the last part of this course they were obliged to spend forty hours in the actual handling of gangs of green men. Yard instructors are drawn from variety of trades, such as riveters, ship filters, ship car- penters, caulkers. etc.
 Twenty-two plants have sent men for training as yard instructors, 216 of these men have completed their training and "A are now in training.
 In addition to the training center established in Newport News, there are now several others established; at Hog Island, at Chester, Pa., at the Submarine Yard at Newark, N. J., and two special centers for the training of electric welders at Schenectady, IN. Y., and at New York City.
 So far, 13 yards have put in train ing departments. One yard has already trained enough yard instructors in the training centers to turn out weekly 300 skilled mechanics within the yard.
 In addition to the trainng of green men, there exists the problem of talk ing men who are already skilled in all lied trades, but have never worked in shipyards, and making them into shipt'uilders. This is called a trade convention course and consists essen tially of determining what supplement tary work skilled mechanic from the allied trades must have in order to give him the necessary knowledge to do shipbuilding work. Special in structors are employed in number of plants to meet this situation.
 By training foremen and managers, the Shipping Board has been able to develop in a year the building of wood- en ships which had been long lost art, and workmen in many yards have increased in efficiency more than 25 per cent. Where we have ef- ficient workers" Chairman Hurley de clared today. 'You can't expect to have efficient workmen in an ineffi- ciently managed ahipyard nor can you expect good results. Our ship yard workers generally are as fine a body of men as in engaged in any in dustry in this country. They are pat riotic, industrious goup, and while in many yards they are not as eff cent as we would like to have them they are learning daily and are in. creasing their output. When the his tory of our shipbuilding program is written, the American workmen. the man who really built the ships, will