Evening journal., 1918-04-05
ALL Steel OUTPUT
ORDERED TOR ships
War Industries Board Orders
Plants 10 Refuse All
Other Orders
PLATES DELAYING
SHIPPING WORK

WASHINGTON, April 5.-To speed up
the shipbunding program hs War In
duslries Board has issued orders 70
steel mills and fabr.cating plants 90
make 100 per cent. deliveries 6n all orr
dcrs Tor steel ship plants from the
Emergency Fleet Corporation. This VIII
give priority TO these orders over an
others and supplements recent orders 20
the mills 20 turn on. no plates for com
mefciai purposes.
TIE action Of The board followed COM
plants made before the senate Com
merce Committee by George j. Bald
win chairman Of the board 0f the
American International Sniphul!dmg
Corporation, which Is building fabri-
Gated ships al Hog Island, Ga. 'hat his
yard and some others are short of ship
steel
At the War Industries Board u WIS
said that there was no general shortage
Of ship steel but IL was conceded that
shortages probably existed at some In
dvldual yards. Durins the last three
months, officials of the board asserted,
sufficient steel 20 build ships at the raie
Of more than 6.0OOOO0 tons a year has
been turned out for the Fleet Corpora
tion alone
Further assurances were given the
shipping board by the War Industries
Board that II detailed information OF the
requirements Of individual shipyards is
furnished. an the needs Of the yards viii
be promptly met
Elfnrfnor nnorH rFInfnfa 0VurnEsnN
confidence IN the ability Of the War IN
dustries Board 90 make deliveries.
but never,hol Senator Fletcher. Of
Florida. chairman Of the Senate COM
mittee and Chairman Hurley Of the
Shipping Board. made an agreement 20
see President Wilson and lay the siiua-
ti0n before him. senator Fietch er was
directed by the committee TO seek the
arrangement
Ia view Of yesterdays order Of the
Var Industries Board it was not be-
lieved that the President would take
any act on. Il was explained that %
was TO meet just such a situation as this
thst the President recently appointed
Bernard Baruch 20 head the board with
powers TO act.
The fact that deliveries 90 the Hog
Island plant are behind schedule was
explained with The statement that first
orders for plates for that yard given
before Mr.. Hurley became chairman o.
the Ship ng Board, were let TO Eastern
~ lls which in turn shipped The plates
20 western plants for fabricating This
involved long cross hauls and tr8nspor-
tatiOn and congestion added 10 the nor
mai delay. The board Is reallottins
these orders with a view 20 Obviatnl
unnecessary hauling.
Delay also has resulted. 10 was said
from the difficulty Of some Easter
plsnis in obtaining coal end coke be
cause Of the railroad congestion. som
planis were reported as working a
only IS or 20 per cent. OF their capacity
The fun capacity OF the mills OF tn
country is placed az 100000 tons o
steel only, and it was cOntonded tina
with the nonessential industries cut OF
from The steel supply, there would b'
ample to meet ali war demands, IN
cluding those Of the great shipbuildinl
program.
a new shipbuildlng yard. solely fo
the construction OF concrete ships, Wi!
he established soon by the Shippini
Board II will be located in some South
ern city where frost VIII not hlndical
the work, probably in Wilmington, \
c., or New Orleans. with the chance
favoring the former.
The new yard will have three ways
each Of which will be utilized immedl
afely in the building Of $500 ton con
crete vessel, as plans for that size
ship alredy have been prepared. Upo
completion Of these vessels the plan
viii construct only 1900 ton Ship
which now are being designed.
The Government yard viii make Nv
yards turning out concrete ships, th
others being private plants at Jackson
VILE. Fla; Brunswick, Ca; san frar
cisco and Redwood City. Cal.