Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-06-10
Army of 100000
Men Employed in
American Ship Yards

American Sh1p I QTQS
Washington, June 10.-Less than 4
year ago there were not $4,000 men
employed in American shipyards. To-
day there are more than 100000 skilled
mechanics and laborers engaged in
building ships, and an additional ESQ.,
900 employed in making the engines,
boilers, wrenches and other machinery
necessary to equip them.
This tremendous expansion by which
the United States hopes to put into
service a new merchant marine that
will rival the trading fleet of any ma
ton in the world has been Accomplished
in methodcal fashion, without any
fuss and feathers" but achieving a
result that industry long will regard
as one Of the most brilliant victories
of the war. 1t has been brought about
by the shipping board thru recognition
Of the principle that unframed men
can become skilled workmen only thru
competent instruction. One Of the first
tasks of the shipping board, therefore,
was the creation Of a division Of educa-
ton and training, which has supervised
the establishment Of training centers
and the development of instructors
among the foremen' and superintenC-
ents.
Training Of the various kinds of ship
builders in the yards is accomplished
by putting the men to work on produc-
ton jobs. under the supervision Of a
yard instructor This yard instructor
/, os@f,.n 49, 81
are learning. The efficiency of a green
gang under training will average about
so .,er cent of finished workmen.
Yard instructors are skilled mech
anics trained in the teaching method.
This training is given in a training cen
ter, where the mechanic is given an
idea of Institutional management. and
how to get the instructions across ef-
fectively.
The first training center was estab-
lished at Newport News. To it were
sent skilled mechanics selected from
the yards. They were given a six
weeks course of training, eight hours
day. During the last part Of this
course they were obliged to spend forty
hours in the actual handling of gangs
of green men. Yard instructors are
drawn from a variety of trades, such
as riveters, ship filters, ship carpent-
ers. caulkers. etc.
Twenty-Five plants have sent men
for training as yard instructors, PIG
Of these men have completed 'their
training and "A are now in training
In addition to the training center es-
tablished in Newport News, there are
now several others established; at Hog
Island, at Chester. Pa, at the Sub
marine Yard at Newark, N. j., and two
special centers for the training Of
electric welders at Schenectady N. Y.
aand 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
enough yard instructors In the training
,centers to turn out weekly 800 skilled
mechanics within the yard.
In addition to the training Of green
men, there exists the problem OF taking
men who are already skilled in allied
trades, but have never worked in ship
yards. and making them into ship
builders This is called trade con-
version course and consists essentially
of determining what supplementary
work sftlled mechanic from the allied
trades must have in order. to give him
the necessary knowledge to do ship
building work Special instructors are
employed in a number Of plants to meet
this situation.
h BY training foremen and managers.
the shipping board has been able to de-
velop in year the building OF wooden
ships which had been a long lost art,
and workmen in many yards have
increased in efficiency more than %
per cent. Where we have efficient
management we have efficient work.
eris,; Chairman Hurley aecla red to-
day. you can't expect to have ef-
flcient workmen in an inefficiently
managed stipyard nor can you expect
good results. "0ur shipyaFd workers
generally are as fine a body OF men as
is engaged in any industry in this
country. They are a patriotic, indus
trtous group, and while ii many yards
trey are not as efficient as we would
like to have them they are iearnins
daily and are increasing their output.
When the history of our shipbuilding
program is written, the American work.
men, the men who really built the ships,
will be the men deserving Of any credit
that may be DUE"
"Doxsn" Becomes Obsolete in Germany.
Amsterdam. May 10.-German house,