Evening star., 1918-08-20
METHOD|CAL WORK
WINNING ON SHIPS
Big Task Achieved viii Be
Regarded as One Of Most
Brilliant Of War.

Less than year ago there were not
5000 men employed in American
shipyards. Today there are moro than
100000 skilled mechanics and laborers
engaged in building ships. and an ad-
ditionai $4,000 employed In making
the engines, boilers. winches and
other machinery necessary to equip
them.
This tremendous expansion by
which the United States hopes to put
into service = new merchant marine
that will rival the trading feet OF any
nation In the world has been accom-
plished in methodicsi fashion. with.
out any fuss and feathers" but
achieving . result that industry long
will regard ~ one Of the most bril-
liant victories of the war. II has
been brought about by the shipping
board through recognition Of the
principle that unframed men can be-
come skilled workmen only through
competent instruction. One of the
first tasks of the shipping board.
therefore. was the creation of . di-
vision OF education and training.
which has supervised the establish
ment of training senteYs and the de-
velopment OF Instructors ameng the
foremen and superintendents.
Training of tho various kinds of
ship6uildess in the yards 10 accom-
plished by quitting the men to work
on production Jobs. under the super
vision OF yard instructor. This yard
instructor has full charge Of gangs
while they are learning. The efi-
cheney Of . green gang under train
ing wfll average about 50 per cent Of
dniahed workmen.
Trained in Teaching Method.
YaId Instructors are skilled me-
chanics trained in the teaching
method. This training Is given In Z
training center. where the mechanic
is given an idea of instTuctionai man
egement and how to get the instruc-
tions across effectively.
The hrst training center was estab-
lished at Newport News. To II we're
sent skilled mechanics. selected from
the yards. They were given a six
week course Of training. eight hours
course they we're obliged to spend
forty hours in the actual handling of
gangs OF green men. Yard instructors
are drawn from q variety of trades,
such as riveters, ship fitters. ship car
penters. calkers, etc.
for training as yard Instructors; 2l6
Of these men have completed their
training. while seventy-four are now
In training.
established in Newport News. there
qAvAPal nfhaFS hfiShAA of
Hog Island, at Chester. Pa: at the
submarine yard at Newark. N. J., and
two special centers for the training Of
electric weldeYs at Schenectady. N. Y,
and at New York city.
So far. thirteen yards have put in
training departments. One yard in
structor can train about $50 men each
year. The period Of training for a
green man varies from two to eight
weeks. One yard has already trained
ing centers to turn out weekly soc
skilled mechanics within the yard.
Trade Conversion Course.
In addition to the training Of green
men. there exists the problem of TAX
ing men who are already skilled in
allied trades, but have never worked
in shipyards. and making them into
This is called q trade
TALLY of determining what supple
mentaYy work a skilled mechanic
from the allied trades must have in
order to give him the necessary
knowledge to do shipbuilding work.
Special Instructors are employed in a
number OF plants to meet this situa-
tion.
BY training foremen and managers
the shipping board has been able TO
In = year the building Of
wooden ships, which had been long
lost art, and workmen in many yards
have increased In efficiency more than
IS per cent. where we have efficient
we have efficient work.
ers." Chairman Hurley declared.
You can't expect to have efficient
workmen in an inemciently man
aged shipyasd. nor can you ex-
pect good results. Our shipyard
workers generally are as hne q body
Of men as 10 engaged In any industry
in this country. They are patriotic.
group, and while in many
yards they are not as efficient as we
would like to have them, they are
learning daily and are increasing their
output. When the history Of our ship
bulldog program 10 written the Amer
ican workmen. the men who really
built the ships. will be the men de-
serving OF any credit that may be