The daily Nome industrial worker., 1918-04-25

most vital facing the government in the conduct of the war You cannot get the ships unless houses are pro- l $vded for work1nen. We want to add 5000 men to our force, and there is nowhere in Newport News for them ! to live. I understand that conditions ! elsewhere are equally as bad.
 There is no limit to the amount of ships this country can build if it really sets itself to the task. The shipyards already built and those building can turn out 5000 900 tons of ships annual ly under proper conditions. and the country could, if put to it, add still other yards and produce 100000 tons a year. But it cannot be done without man power, and man power cannot be obtained unless housing is provided.
 Tt is just as necessary for the gov u workers as it is for soldiers. It must do it if it gets ships"
 VIEW OF FERGUSON
 Concentration of shipyards in the Philadelphia district was criticized by Mir Ferguson as likely to increase | housing difficulties and to add to rail- road congestion. The industry, he said should have been scattered more along l the coasts.
 Shipbuilding in estabised yards i was hampered instead of expedited Mr 1 Ferguson said, when the Fleet Corpor- ation communicated construction Un- ] til December, he declared, the corpora tion was unwilling to pay additional cost for speeding up building opera tions although the private owners of i ships under construction always were ready to pay for speed
 The next day after this testimony 1 $1,200,0OO was set aside by the Ship ping Board to be expended for housing. For months prior the ship builders had been attempting to get an allotment to do so.
 Among the witnesses who testified was Admiral Bowles, head of the con- struction department of the Emer- gency Fleet Corporation. He said, ton had let contract to the Sloan 1 ship Building Corporation of Olympia l Washington, to build sixteen wooden ships at a cost of $7,S4O,OOO. The con- | tract was negotiated by Major General Goethals and his counsel J. P. Cotton. There had already been paid upon the contract $1,724,O0O Of this amount | S54O,0O0 had been spent directly on ship work; $237, ,OOO indirectly on this | work, and $5OO,000 private purposes. l Of this $5OO,OOO thus spent $4OO,OO0 was paid to the Clinchfield Naviga-
 
 craze fee in landing the contract. Part of the $237OOO went to the Capital City Iron Works and the Anacortes Steel Co.,, subsidiary companies of the ] Sloan Company, that is to themselves l Q What did you do when you found that out?
 A We took over complete control of the Sloan Company, shut off the l Clinchfeld Company from collecting any more money, took a $750.oo0 mort gage on tAe Sloan plant, and took ever bonds of the two subsidiary concerns. President Sloan of the Cooperation was drawing $25,O0 a year salary. We cut him down to $1o,OO0.
 @ What does MT Sloan do to earn that amount?
 A He gets that for keeping quiet and helping t. keep things moving
 I admit that 1t looks like a good bit of money but we did the best we could | under the circumstances.
 Questioning by Senator Jones de- veloped that Contractor T. $. Ferris of
 the Fleet Corporation had given Chas
 Barnet, Vice President of tho Clinch-
 field Company. letter of introduction
 to Genral Goethals before the Sloan
 contract was let.
 | Well now, we have spent nearly $2,000,000 with this company. How
 many ships have they built?" demand :
 ed Senator Nelson.
 None, the most progress on any of