Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-09-23

many cases, "laid off, a week day for
recreation, generally have discontinue
ed seven-day operation, except in
emergencies. But every days muster
still has it's list of absentees, obvious
ly a serious blow to efficiency.
But "slackerism" is an offense of the
minority. The real spirit Of the ship
yards Is typical Of America. at war.
Propaganda plays its part, a telling
one, and by e Of competition in
construction, honor rolls Of high pro-
ductton n MONDAY meetings design
ed to emphasize the Importance of the
shipworkers' share, in the national ef-
fort, enthusiasm is maintained at a
high pitch and is reflected in output.
Every plant has its school, where
br~idgebuilders and structural iron
workers learn to erect steel ships and
where house carpenters are taught the
principles Of wooden hull construc-
ton In both branches of the industry,
as we'll, many laborers have. passed
tests which have rated them as skilled
workmen. In h yards of the Subma-
r,ne Boat corporation al Newark tie
school gangs have butt and launch
ed three 5.5O0-ton steel freighters an
inspiring example of The American
wa! Of doing things when, taey have
IT,. be III rt..s- -"@-''f. q rs. 81
!! The shipyards army, like the khaki
clad force whose going to foreign soil
called 1t into being, is an organization
of youth. At Newark an 83-year-old
civil war veteran directs work on an
Quitting pier. but this case is an ex-
ceptton. Less Of an oddity is a negro
boy of f6 who is operating a sgun,"
as yard phraseology terms the COM
pressed air riveting machine. Men in
in the forties and ffties, are building
the American merchant marine.
Shipyard mechanical appliances,
like the men who operate them, large
ly are a product of var time demands.
RAILROADS, cranes and derricks which
travel in yards and on piers have sup
iplanted the cruder and slower means
wide use Of fabricated steel-parts
wholly prepared for erection at the
mills where they are. rolled-has put
speed into shipbuilding.
The bull riveter, an appliance which
drives 1000 rivets a day to 1000 by
the hand process. has made its appear
ance in some Of the yards and is m
ployed to erect entire sections of hulls,
which are swung into place by der
ricks. While wooden ship construction
must remain in a great degree a task
for h human hand, its production
has been fastened by resort to many
new mechanical auxiliaries.
anu WHAT OF Inc prOQuCC OF this
war-impelled haste? The ships speak
for themselves. Some of them lack the
finish which was the oldtime ship
builders pride. Equipment and. fittings
are held down to a minimum in keep
ing with serviceability. But the de-
mand is for cargo space, and designs
are drawn to meet it. Wooden vessels,
mostly of $500 lightweight tons and
averaging $500, 900 in cost, are equip
ped with coal burning engines. Steel
ships, which range from $500 to 12,-
600 tons and cost $750,000 to 5 $780,
900, are being adapted in many cases
to fuel oil. On every craft is a gun
platform, on the larger ships two,
grim reminders Of tina International
lawlessness which challenged Ameri-
can courage and resourcefulness to a
performance which has amazed the
world.
The months Of getting ready are
past in the North Atlantic shipyards.
The ordeal Of selecting from thou
sands of applicants men who could
build ships, or learn to build them, is
over. The destructive labor turnover
Of h industry's first phase has been
almost wholly eliminated. Erection of
barracks and homes at some of the
isolated centers has helped to stabilize
the labor problem. Though supply has
not yet fully me demand for men and
materials, the day Of an even balance
is drawing nearer. From now on COM
.pleted ships will be reckoned not in
thousands but In millions Of tons a
year. "A cargo bridge to France prom
ises to be a reality. !