New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-05
resident axes
Hand I'm Problem
OF Ship Plates
He Is to Confer With Hur-
lev and Senator Fletcher
on Shortage
staff Correspondence

WASHINGTON. April 1.-The short
age of ship plates in Eastern yards,
which will be the subject of a
President, Chairman Hurley, of the
Shipping Board, and Senator Fletcher,
Of the Senate Commerce Committee. is
caused by the refusal of the War In
dustres Board to give shb-plate steel
priority over navy and ordnance
steel, it was charged by high official
of the Shipping Board to-day. This
statement was in part substantiated by
an announcement by ]. l.. Replogle,
head of the steel division of the War
Industries Board, to the effect that
certain steel mills had been ordered
to give steel for the Fleet Corporation
priority OF manufacture over all other
orders.
However. at the same time, the chief
of the steel division of the Var Indus
tries Board laid the blame for the steel
plate shortage directly at the door of
the Fleet Corporation, saying that alb
sence of specific information of the re-
uurements of the several yards had
made it impossible for the War Indus
tries Board to distribute steel plates
according TO the needs of the yards.
He denied that there was an actual
TRANSFORMATION difficulties encountered
during the past three months, Mr.. Rep
logic declared, sufficient steel to con-
struct 100000 tons of shipping per
month .had been delivered to the ship
yards. The trouble had arisen, he
stated, through the improper ALLEGATION
of this steel among the yards, due to
a lack of information regarding the
requirements of the yards.
At the Shipping Board it was stated
officially that the War Industries Board
has been supplied with adequate in
formation. The requirements OF the
the Ship Plate Committee of the Iron
and Steel Institute, it was stated, and
then passed on to the War Industries
Board, which undertakes to distribute
orders and attend to deliveries on
schedule.
In distributing orders for ship plates
among the steel mills, it was charged
at the Shipping Board, the War Indus
tries Board has failed to consider pro-
duction conditions in the mills. 1t has
further failed to check progress on
orders and thereby insure deliveries
on schedule. Orders for ship plates
have been placed with mills already
ovcrburdcncd with navy and ordnance
work, and there have been no orders is
sued to give The ship plates steel prl
GRITTY, it is stated. In consequence, it is
asserted, these mills have proceeded
with their navy and ordnance con-
tracts, while the ship steel has waited.
Chairman Hurley to-day expressed
the opinion that the War Industries
Board would effect a remedy for the
ship plate shortage without delay, pre-
sumably through the issuance of
orders giving ship steel priority of
manufacture. Such priority, he de-
clared, was essential, pointing out that
cargo ships were necessary pre-
requisite to the effective use of all
other munitions. The chairman of the
Shipping Board further declared that
the Fleet Corporation would hereafter
itself undertake to check progress on
the manufacture of ship plates ordered
through the War Industries Board, and,
where mills were reported behind
schedule in output, would insist on
remedial action. This would probably
take the form Of placing new orders
and levying forfefts against the mills
failing to deliver on time.