Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1918-02-15
APPEAL FOR sH1pBU1LDERs.
Most Urgent Gall Of the War Is For
100000 Enthusiastic Workers-Loeal
Office in Crosby Block.


Editor of The Phoenix:--
A few days before our declaration
of war with Spain, Admiral Dewey was
in the harbor of Hongkong awaiting
the arrival of the U. S. 8. Baltimore
with ammunition and supplies for the
fleet under his command. The Balti-
more arrived just 4S hours before war
was declared and we were Informed
that we must leave the harbor within
4S hours, as Hongkong was q neutral
English port. Dewey knew that with
out ships for supplies the war could
not be carried on successfully. When
we left Hongkong we had with us three
vessels loaded with coal which Dewey
bought just before war was declared,
On leaving Hongkong, just few miles
down the coast, we hailed and pur.
chased a refrigerator ship, bound for
Australia. She was ordered to continue
on her way and few weeks later ar.
rived in Manila loaded with beef and
mutton. / am citing these cases to
show how important ships are to
country at war. We cannot buy the
ships today-we must build them.
The business of the hour is to prose.
cute the war. Our women may knit
until they are blind; our men may give
money in countless sums; we may Hoov-
erize until we are fairly famished; all
, will be useless unless we can replace
every sunken ship with three new ones
How can it be done' The government
has furnished the necessary money to
carry on the work, the yards and docks
have been built in various parts of the
couAtry, the materials are at hand, but
enough men to build the ships are not
there. True, few thousand men have
applied for work, but many have been
| Indifferent or worse, simply seeking a
change of location and occupation The
| shipyards do not need a stream of rest.
| less, apathetic shirkers flowing in one
gate and out of the next, with no prof
it to themselves and less to their coun-
try. What is needed is band of
100000 enthusiastic, earnest and pa.
triotic workers, eager to serve their
country. And such men will find that
they will be well paid and will be thor
oughly trained in work akin to their
own trades. They will also be placed in
a deferred class in the draft as long
as they are working on ships. On the
Pacific coast bulls are being completed
well if we can only get the men. A
man on the fighting line is no greater
patriot than the shipbuilder Without
the shipbuilder the man on the fighting
line is wasting his effort and practically
throwing away his life.
| The United States Shipping Board
warns US that manufacture will be
stopped again and again, regardless of
the resulting chaos i'll the business
world, until we can get sufficient ships
to clear the freight jam at the eastern
terminals. At the present time every
manufacture is and must be secondary
to shipbuildng. In spite of the con
fusion caused by our plunge into the
greatest of wars, the shipping board
mas the yards and materials to build
six million tons of shipping this year
and to continue building thousand
ocean going vessels a year thereafter.
r. Brattleboro and" tite snrrottnding
towns have always given more than
| their quota for every demand made up
on them since the beginning of the war.
And now comes the most urgent call
Of all, the call for shipbuilders.
1t is well to bear in mind that two
thirds of the occupations used in ship
| DullulnS are common TO other industries
and skilled mechanic in almost any
line of wood or metal work can avail
himself of this opportunity to pay back
what American institutions have done
for him.
Go today to the office Of Sanford a
Daniels, Crosby block, and fill in one
of the registry cards This will be for.
warded to the Public Service Reserve
office at Washington, d. c., and when
you are needed you will be notified
You will also receive information re,
garding wages, terms and conditions of
transportation, etc. Whether you accept
the call or not is entirely voluntary.
1t is going to be a great work, mil
lions upon millions of rivets will be
driven and every rivct is nail in the
kaiser . coffin.
JEAN J. NANDERVEER,
Formerly of L. S. Navy.