The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-29

 workmen, three guards barracks, a handsome Y. NJ c. A. building, a large hotel, central cafeteria. mess halls. a model emergency hospital, and in- numerable auxiliary buildings which make up a city within itself. There is also training school for shipbuld- CTS with 150 instructors. New men are rapidly trained, 600 at a time, and most of them, officials say are becom- ing adopts in the new trade of ship erection and assembly.
 32,000 WORK FRS
 The army of 32,000 workers at the great plant include men of all nation alities and all occupations Neatly 1000 girls are also employed and many of them are doing work formerly done by men. Most of the common labor was obtained in and around this city, but skilled mechanics and office employees hail from virtually every section of the country The pay roll averages close to s1,o0O. GOO week.
 Virtually no labor trouble has been experienced at Hog Island the few minor grievances of the employees be- ing quickly adjusted After recent inspection tour of the yard Charles NJ Sehwab.- director general of the emer- gency fleet corporation, said that ev- erything WAS most harmonious" The only thing needed, he added, was ad- ditiona1 experienced riveting gangs and these soon would be turned out at the training school.
 One Of the most serious problems en- countered in the development of this great city of shipbuilders was that of housing the vast army of employees. For brief period this caused no lit : tie anxiety, but the situation was re- lieved by the construction of barracks housing 5000 persons and bachelor apartments for 2000 men. Aecommoda- tions for thousands were also found at boarding houses and with private families in all sections of the ciSy. Later 1000 four and six-room houses were constructed near the shipyard al an average cost of $3500 and rented to the employees at a nominal figure.
 INTERESTING DETAILS
 Details of the yards progress are in- teresting. On September 13, 1917, the emergency fleet corporation of the United States shipping board awarded the contract to the American Interna- tional Shipbuilding corporation to con- struct the plant and to build 50 7500- ton cargo ships. On october 29 an additional order was given for 70 SoCo- ton cargo and troop ships and on May 30 1918, the construction of SO more T500-ton vessels was ordered total of 1S0. All are to be completely out fitted. even to the table linen and sil- verwars.
 Construction work was begun on the big plant a week after the contract was signed and five months later the rough, wooded island of SAG acres had been converted into q thriving city of shipbuilders, and the first keel laid Eighty miles of standard railway track have been put down within the yard and IS miles of roadway built. Three million feet of electric wire has been put underground and an air com pressor plant with capacity of T5,000 cubic feet d minute, the second larg- est in the world, has. been installed. AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT Tn the words of an official of the American International Shipbuilding corporation, Hog Island lis a peculiar " American achievement, porn of great necessity. It is American in it's colos- sal size and in the combined simplicity and boldness of it's design; American. too. in the thoroughness and speed of it's realization. It stands today by far the greatest shipyard in the world. The emergency fleet corporation may well pause moment to say that it's work is well done. In days to come, when there is time to take stock of these things it will be written that this arm of the government indeed de- served we'll of it's country in the great war.
 Tor the American International Shipbuilding corporation and it's as sociates it is enough to say that they have had part in enterprise which will forever be remembered as one of the great achievements of a great epoch