Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-13
ISSUE PUT UP TO
SHIPBUADING PLANYs
Admiral Bowles Quotes Flo.
ures to Bear Out His End
of Contention
PACIFIC COAST LEADS
Claim Eastern Plants Are Hidden 4,
Dugouts and Are Due to
Come Out
PACIFIC COAST LEADS

Comparative figures for war,,.
shipbuilding on the Pacific and A,,..s
coasts were issued today bv po,u
miral Francis T. Bowles. assistant, %.
eral manager Of the Emergency Fla.
Corporation, to back up his con,or,,.-
that the eastern shipyards were for /.
hind their output capacity in cons,ru,,
ing merchantmen for the Govsrnn,...
Admiral Bowles declared ,ba, a..
figures prove his point and ch,I,..ns ns
tho shipbuilding companies and ,assa
leaders to explain" "''r
Singing out the Sun Sbinh,,is
Company, Of Chester. the diroctor ~ ~.
Government-contr shipyards ~. w.
compared its output with that OF ,b,.s
racine coast plants-the Ames sh,.
building and Drydock COMPANY seat,,..
the skinner Eddy Company, sea,tI.
ana the Los Angeles ShipbuidIng anS
Drydock Company, Los Angeles IT,.
sun Company was selected ba oais
because "it had emerged from its dns'
out" j. Howard Pew, the pres,dsr,
having sharply answered the AdmIrsI's
criticism.
Admiral Bowles's figures sumred 81,
n
the number Of ships launched ana m.
number of ships completed to date a,
follows:
THE WEST
,shpyard Besun Launched Delivered
skinner a Eddy. Jan, iais ii .
Los Anse'e'''''+i +Mt +Mey ralr lslI
Sun Compan Jan. 1916 2
II will give the public the figures
and let the yards give the explanation"
said Admiral Bowles NO doubt all
sorts of explanations will be Forthcoming.
The record of the sun Shipbu,ldng
Company shows that it was started In
January, 1916. and has delivered one
vessel of 10000 tons and launched an.
other. pick out the Sun Company
for this invidious comparison because Il
has emerged from its dugout into the
open trench. When the rema inder Of the
eastern yards come out of their dugouts
! will give them some figures for their
digestion as well. The Sun firm has
twenty vessels under contract.
Now for the western yards. Tho
Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
started construction of it's yard In De.
ccmber 1915. and up TO February. 1918.
completed one SS00-ton ship and
skinner & Eddy. the record holders
started in January. 1916. launched
| eleven SS00-ton ships and completed
nine of these, and has eleven keels
| laid now The Los Angeles Shipbud.
ing and Drydock Company. started In
| May. 1917, launched its first vessel In
/ December, 1917, It's second in January.
| 1918. and it's third in March, 1918
| These are SS0O-ton shIps
II don't believe that any one OF these
three concerns had anything like the
same amount of money invested In
equipment as did the Sun plant"
With the announcement from WASH
! ington that the Senate Commerce Com
mittee is now upon the last lap of its In
vestigation of the big shipyards, labor
| leader Joined the Sun Shipbuilding Com
pany in denying the charge that pro-
duction In the eastern yards is In the
neighborhood Of so per cent.
LABOR STATEMENT
Charles +. Scott, general organizer Of
the International Brotherhood Of Boiler
makers. Iron Shipbuiders and Helpers
| of America, acted as spokesman In .
written statement given 10 the news
1 papers. His statement follows in part
On behalf of organized labor in all
shipyards on the Delaware River.
not only deny the Admiral's charge
that labor is not working efficiently
| to the maximum point OF production.
but defy him or any other authority
to prove the charge made.
The shipbuilders in this district are
| just AS patriotic as any body Of men
/ In the United States. They realize
fully their responsibility as producers
! of much-needed ships to aid their
| Government TO carry food to France,
and are working to the limit Of human
endurance to aid In solving the critical
| marine problem.
II seems to be a hobby of Admiral
Bowles to pose for and to be inter.
viewed by the newspapers since his
coming to Philadelphia. His pub
! lshed statements have done more to
| undermine the morale # the ship
! builders than all the German agents
| in this country.
| American labor welcomes the spirit
Of constructive criticism. and pledges
itself to speed the shipbuilding pro-
gram as outlined by President Wilson.
HEARING ON TO-DAY
President Pew. of the sun Shipbuild'
ing Company. issued a statement becauss
he said he thought it due to the staff Of
workmen of his plant that Admiral
Bowles' statement was not based on
facts He said the Sun yard In spite Of
the fact that 1t had to teach more than
| 80 per cent of its men, will reach l0o
per cent capacity by July !. It is now
turning out Sc per cent OF its rated
| caDacity, he said