New-York tribune., 1918-03-27
German Drive Inspired by
Desperation, Shipping
Chairman Declares
America Leads World
In Construction Work
Marvels Accomplished in
Eight Months and Being
Done Every Day

America has taken its place as the
leading shipbuilding nation of the
world. In the last three months more
tonnage has slid from the way of ship
yards OF the United States than in all
the other maritime nations of the world
combined
This message was delivered in New
York last night by Edward ~ Hurley,
chairman of the United States Ship
ping Board, in an address to the mem
bers of the National Marine League
at the annual dinner at Delmonico's.
That is the reason for the Ger
man offensive" Mr. Hurley declared.
ut Is because the Germans know that
we are surmountins great obstacles
and that we are progressing rapidly
TO that point where we VIII be able 10
release our man power that they have
chosen the present moment to strike
their supreme bow. 1t is blow struck
in desperation and it viii fail"
Ships Before Men
In referring to Major General Leon
ard Woods plea for more men for ser
vice in France, Chairman Hurley said
he would put ships before men, as i'm
portant as men are.
at took the German army forty
years to build their great military ma
chine" he declared "and in eight
months we have laid the foundation
for the machine which Will defeat it."
In only three of the American plants.
Mr. Hurley pointed out, those at Hog
Island. Newark Bay and Bristol, Penn.
there will be a greater production of
slips each year than there is in all
England in the same length of time
Mr.. Hurley paid particular attention
to the labor situation, and said he took
issue with those who advocate the con-
s----::u.ion of skilled workmen. This
procedure. he said, he believed unnec-
essaTy. relying upon the laboring man
to pool his own interests in the COM
mon cause of patriotism. However, he
did add that he and other government
officials expected the shipyard workers
to show their gratitude for the great
increase in wages granted to them.
Other issues of the shpbuilding
programme were taken up by Mr.. Hur-
ley, some of the statistics he quoted
Doing Job in Big War
There were thirty-seven steel ship
-:szcs IN America at the time of our
shtrAnce into the war;" said Mr.. Hur-
r. 1--WE have located eighty-one ad
dltlonal steel and wood wards, while
eighteen other yards have been ex
panded. We are building in the new
and expanded steel yards 235 new steel
shlpways, or twenty-siX more than at
present exist in all the shipyards OF
England. If we had been content with
doing the Job in a small way we might
have built few new yards and added
little to our capacity A few ships
might have been finished more quickly
but it was the spirit and will Of Amer
lea to do the Job in a big way, and the
judgment of the country will be vind-
Gated by the results when all these new
ways are completed and are turning
out ships.e Many of these ways have
actually been finished. The new in
Gustry We have created will make
America the greatest maritime nation
in the history of the world
ut took Germany forty years to
build up her mighty military machine
In less than eight months we have
built up a shipbuilding machine which
when it gets into full swing, win de-
feat the military machine of Germany
"The total amount of our steel con
struction programme on March l was
S,205,708 deadweight tons. This is
made up of 5,1G0,300 deadweight tons
under contract with the Emergency
Fleet Corporation and 3o45, ,408 dead
weight tons OF requisitioned vessels
"Of this total steel construction
2,121 ,566 deadweight tons, or approxi-
mately % per cent, has been com
pleted. That means in addition te
the building of our big new yards we
have also been building ships. That
is, the programme for steel ships has