The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1918-02-22
The Need of Ships

issues the following full statement
the present labor and shipbuilding stu
: alton as it affects the business of tn
country.
"This war can be won thorough tn
construction this year By the Unite'
States and her Allies of $3.50. 900 tom
of shipping. This amount will not onl!
overcome the submarine losses but will
also leave the margin necessary to care
for the transportation of 1900, 00(
American troops and supplies overseas
partial relief, but in a militar!
sense only, is being obtained from the
less vital import trades. Under the
Presidents order, this work is now be
ing undertaken by joint organization or
the part of the Shipping Board and the
War Trade Board. While raw mater
ials absolutely necessary to supply the
country's vital necessities will, OF
course, be permitted to enter our ports,
it is now necessary to reluctantly but
drastically curtail the importation of
supplies for the manufacture of nom
essentials-this to enable the shipping
used for this trade to be released for
war purposes.
"In spite of this method for obtaining
| partial relief, the only real answer to
the problem is ship construction. This
| construction not only depends for its
success upon labor, but the very life of
| lator itself depends on this construc-
tior-this because 100000 men are
employed in the manufacturing plants
of the United States today, of whom
100000 are working on war materials
and subsidiary industries alone. All of
these men are threatened With forced
shut downs and these shut downs are
absolutely inevitable unless the ships
are built. Even the trades directly
manufacturing war supplies and the mu-
milton plants themselves face limiia-
ton of their output.
"This is plain on its face, for not
only are the ports and docks jammed
with supplies for overseas, but there
are in the sea coast terminals alone
more than 10000 freight cars loaded
with supplies for Europe-literally
mountains of materials for which there
is insufficient shipping tonnage.
"No greater surplus of supplies can
possibly be permitted to accumulate in
these ports even though the estimated
amount of war supplies needed this
year for overseas shipment will total
100000 tons.
"There Is but one thing ahead-a
forced slow down in American factories
until the ships are built.
s'The situation is one in which not
only the nation is vitality interested,
but one which strikes at the very heart
of labor itself. Interruptions to bust
ness and consequent loss of earnings to
the employee will recur, or at least
production will be retarded-with the
same result-until we have shipping
adequate to the task of clearing the
port congestion.
"For this reason then, the welfare of
all labor, both organized and morgan
lied, to the extent of some 100000
people now employed is at stake in the
shipyards.
"The coalless day. and the. freight
embargo have already had a ire
mendous effect upon labor Throughout,
the country, and the additional force of
the coming necessary curtailment OF
raw material importation will also fall
heavily upon labor within the next few
weeks.
at is only through shipyard labor
that relief to labor throughout the ma
ton can come. Therefore, uncalled for
strikes not only threaten the safety of
our armies in France, but the very
heart of labor itself through the reduc-
ton in employment which is faced by
millions of men not engaged directly in
shipyard work.
"For this reason, shipyard strike is
in effect lockout, aimed at all labor in
the country, and threatens the very life
of organized labor itself.
1.-THE peak load requirement for ship
yard workers will be 10000 men. On
these men depend the ability of other
labor to obtain steady employment. In
other words, if group of shipyard
workers tie up the shipyards or fail to
give full days work not only will the
resulting stoppage of each mans work
tie up from fifteen to twenty other yard
workers and throw them out of employ
ment but this stoppage will also effect
the direct employment of the 100000
war workers as we'll as the employment
of the entire IL, oO0, 900 workers through
out the country.
"Becarse of this fact, the labor lead
ers of the country including Samuel
Gompers, President of the American
Federation of Labor, have entered into
an agreement with the Navy Depart
ment, the Shipping Board and the EN-
Urgency Fleet Corporation for the pre-
vention of strikes-an agreement which
has been kept with scrupulous care by
its signers, and enforced by Board,
the verv personnel of which insures
fairness.
81 wish, therefore, now that the
President has personally taken action
in the carpenters strike, to point out
to employees and to the members Of
organized labor throughout the country
that their own interests are vitality at
stake in this shipping matter, and that
the whole force of their mighty infiu-
ence must for their own protection be
| used to keep the shipyards running full
time and block any attempt to paralyze
the nations business through strikes
and trust the labor adj ustment board to
| deal fairly with them"