The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-05
The War Industries Board
Heeds Complaints of Hog
Island Shipyard
PRESIDENT TOPASS
ON THE SITUATION
In Three Months Sufficient Steel to
Build Ships at Rate of 100000 Tons
a Year Has Been Turned Out for Fleet
Corporation.

WASHINGTON, April 5.-To speed
up the shipbuilding program, the war
industries board yesterday issued or
ders to steel mills and fabricating
plants to make 100 per cent deliveries
on all orders for steel ship plates from
the emergency fleet corporation. This
will give priority to these orders over
all others, and supplements recent or
ders to the mills to turn ont no plates
for commercial purposes.
The action of the board followed
complaints made before the senate com
merce committee by George J. Bald
win, chairman of the board of the
American International shipbuilding
corporation which is building fabricat
ed ships at Hog Island, Pa, that this
yard and some others are short of ship
steel.
At the war industries board it was
said that there was no general short
age of ship steel, but it was conceded
that shortages probably existed at some
individual yards During the past
three months, officials of the board as
serted, sufficient steel to build at the
rate of more than 100000 tons a year
has been turned ont for the fleet cor
poration alone.
; Further assurances were given the
shipping board by the war industries
board that if detailed information of
the requirements of individual ship
yards is furnished, all the needs OF
the yards will be promptly met.
Shipping board officials expressed
! confidence in the ability of the war in
f dustrieS board to make deliveries, but
: nevertheless, Senator Fletcher of Flor
), ida, chairman of the senate committee
! and Chairman Hurley of the shipping
!. board, made an agreement to see Presi
dent Wilson and to lay the situation
{. before him. Senator Fletcher was iii
/, rected by the committee to seek tn,
d engagement.
d In view of yesterday 5 order of tn
/ war industries board it was not be
licyed that the President would tax
: any action.
: 1t was explained that it was to NEE
just such situation as this that tn
,s President recently appointed Bernar
f Baruch to head the board, with ful
:, powers TO act.
= The fact that deliveries at the Ho
!. Island plant are behind schedule wa
= explained with the statement that frs
= orders for plates for that yard, give
=. before Mr. Hurley became chairman c
the shipping board, were sent to easter
D. mills. which in turn shipped the plate
B. to western plants for fabricating TIL
involved long cross hauls, and tram
3 portation congestion added to the no
F NAL delay. The board is re-locatin
tf these orders, with view to obviatin
: unnecessary hauling.
~ Delay also has resulted, it was sal
: from the difficulty of some easter
r. plants in obtaining coal and coke b.
w. cause of the railroad congestion. Son
q. plants were reported as working at on
~ 80 to 20 per cent of their capacity. II
> full capacity of the mills of the cou1
try is placed at 45,000.0O0 tons of ste
- only, and IT was contended that wit
III the non essential industries cut {
q, from the steel supply, there would
o. ample to meet all war demands, inclu
. ing those of the great shipbuildil
program.