The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-03-01
j. S. BUILDING
MANY SHIPS
ON DELAWARE
ONE-THIRD OF SHIPS CONTRA CT
ED FOR BEING CONSTRUCT
ED THERE
COST SHOWS INCREASE
LABOR TROUBLES AND STEEL
SHORTAGE MAKE SHIPS
COST MORE

PHILADELPHIA than a
third of the war vessels and merchant
ships called for by the program OF
the United States government are
building in ship yards ilong the Della
ware river, according to figures which
have just been made public with the
permission of the emergency fleet cor
poration. The tonnage contracted for,
according to government officials, has
Transformed the Delaware valley in
to the greatest shipbuiiding center in
the world.
w. B. Ferguson representative of
the emergency fleet corporation, es-
Inmates that an army of about $4,000
shipworkers will be required to COM
plete the 272 ships, including war
vessels, contracted for by the II ship
building plants between Trenton and
Delaware City.
Work on 120 cargo-carriers at the
new government yard at Hog Island
is progressing and this plant is en-
gaging to turn out 100000 additional
tons in 1918. More THAI 2,250,000 tons
will be the Delaware rivers first
quota in the fleet which Uncle Sam
relies on to help VI the war.
At the new shipya Bristol, Pa,
40 ships are conf, for. Here
more than 5000 meN i ut work and it
is expected that Il 4uore will be
necessary to COMP re vessels on
schedule.
Ten vessels are ss constructed
at another new yard 5ornwells, Pa.
The force there of III zen will be in
creased to 200O 9th well-known
Philadelphia shipbuil plant more
than 60 ships are ~---f e turned out.
Most of these ares0s ernment craft
on which more than :, 90 men are en-
gagged Another thousand is needed.
In the big yard at Camden, N. j.,
across the river from Philadelphia,
1900 men are building "a ships. More
workers are needed here also.
Two yards at Gloucester, N. j., are
turning out 16 ships with a force of
about 5000 men. Twice this number
of shipworkers is needed.
Two large plants, one new one, at
Chester, Pa, have contracted for 1S
and 26 ships respectively. One plant
has only 17O0 men on the payroll and
requires at least 5000 more, accord
ing to the government figures. The
other yard is employing 1000 men
whereas, at least 5000 are necessary |
to complete it's contracts.
The plant at Hog Island is now en-
ploying about 10000 workers and Of
ficials there estimate that at least
$4,000 are needed.
Work in one plant at Wilmington,
Del, is progressing on 13 ships on
which 28OO men are employed. This
company is in the market for another /
1000 workers. At another plant in
that city eight ships a-ss being built
by force Of 1000 me~ and officials
require 1900 more.
A drive under the ,lspices of the i
government, is now being conducted
throughout the country to register all
men in the 81 trades allied with ship
building. Many of trese mechanics
are now engaged in q occupations \
and it is planned to fer them to
the seaboards without turbing in
dustry.
Labor difficulties 81 shortage of
steel and other math9 it is ex- :
pected, will treble ,tss riginal esti-
mate of the cost Of ths ships con-
tracted for. Recent investigation of
The Delaware river plants indicated +
that most of the vessels being built
will be completed in schedule time.
QDInICu CITE ApCuJD Ic