The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-03-27

is SPEEDING UP
United States Program Is
% Per Cent on Way
TO Completion
MARITIME NATION
Is BEING BUILT
Chairman Hurry of Shipping
Board Tells of the
Situation

New York, March 97.-Ameriea's eff.
fort 10 meet German submarine war,
whose full menace has just been re-
vealed in British admiralty figures on
sinkings of ships was outlined here to.
day by Chairman Hurley, of the shipping
board, in a frank statement setting forth
the shipbuilding situation in the United
States.
Before the National Marine league,
Mr., Hurley disclosed that despite de-
lays, the country soon will have $50
steel and wooden ways turning out ships
and that the governments mammoth
steel shipbuiding program of eight mil.
lion tons on. March ! was IS per cent
on its way to completion. This does not
mean that 2s per cent are in the water,
but that construction as a whole had
advanced that far. Eight per cent of
the vessels actually have been put into
service, Mr.. Hurley said.
The three government fabricating
yards near Philadelphia, when in full
operation. will be able to produce, Mr.
Hurley said more ships in year than
all the yards of England, heretofore the
greatest shipbuildng country in the
world.
The high point in the curve of pro-
duction has been delayed, Mr.. Hurley
pointed out, by number of causes.
Gradually, these ~7e being overcome, he
declared and before many months, the
peak will have been reached
when the high point Of the curve
finally has been reached and the magni
tude OF Americas shipbuilding program
is realized he said, st will be con
tinuous performance Of production and
launching"
Unless we get out men to the battle
front, we viii not win the war, and there
fore it all comes back to ships" said |
Mr.. Hurley. Upon the shipping board |
has devolved the responsibility of sup
plying this need and supplying it under |
the most extraordinary conditions that |
ever existed, at time when every other |
industry is being taxed to its utmost |
capacity in the matter of material and |
labor to provide war necessities.
THE handicaps have been many. We /
were not maritime nation. With the
exception of few widely scattered
yards. merchant marine construction had
almost become a lost art with us. Then
came his sudden call at moment when
the navy was undergoing the greatest
expansion in its history when most, if
not all, of the established yards were
feyerishly engaged *: rush construction
on dreadnaughts. destroyers, submarines,
fuel ships, tenders and other auxiliary
craft and when munition makers were 1
absorbing that part Of skilled labor
which had not been called TO government
navy yards or private shipbuilding
plants. So it was a case OF not only
working from the ground up, but Of
first securing the ground upon which TO
make a start, some of it marsh land
which had to be filled in before launch
ng ways could be laid. Therefore, we
who were engaged in the work appre
late the magnitude of the task.
ioubt if the magnitude of the task i
appreciated. ] am here TO en-
,hasize that magnitude. I am here to
ell yon of the situation as it is.
II wish to remind you gentlemen that
hips are not built overnight When
We took hold of this job OF shipbuild-
ng, we found there was no shipyard
n existence with which we could place ?
n order. The old yards were filled to o
apacity We were faced with the neees-
itN VI creating dU tuAHblN new iiuus- I
rv We had to establish the yards u
rst, get the shipbulders to take charge )
t them, and train the men to build W
he ships. G
"Tbere were ~ steel shipvards in II
.mcrica at The time 81 our entrance into g
he war We have located 81 additional "
teel and wood yards while Is other a
ards have been expanded. We are build ei
in, : bn nd oxn uJaJ afpa1 orIS | IL
IS new steel shipways. or u more than
t present exist in all the shipysrds of
ngland. If we ha,..been content with
Ding the job in small way, we mipht Z
ave built few new yards and added
little to our capacity. few ships
light have been finished more quickly; |
ut it was the spirit and viii of Amer !.
a to do the job in big way and the ~ ~
ldgmeut of the country will be vindi- ~
tied by the results when all these new
avs are completed and are turning out r
lips. Many of these ways have actual u'
been finished. The new industry we
ave created will make America the
-eatest maritime nation in the history
the world nj
"There is no doubt but that we are
,stined TO he one of the leading ship
hiding nations of the world. We will
I'VE the largest number of shipyards. sp
e materials and the labor and when Nj
IT shipbuilding plants are completed of
Id are well organized on sound bust A,
IS lines so as to produce ships cheap tn
and rapidly, we will not only produce di,
fficient ships to become the leader in sol
2 commerce of the world by furnishing Be
ansportation at reasonable rates there
performing a service to the rest of 70,
e world. but we will build ships in go
ch large numbers and at such fair wa