Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1918-01-05
TWO billion
PROGRAM. IS
PLANNED FOR
SHIPS in u. S.
Enlarged Plans Revealed Be-
fore House Committee
When Shipping Organiza-
ton Asks for Additional
Appropriation.
lRN Review Leased Wirel

(By Review Leased Wirel
WASHINGTON. Jan. PLANS Tor
a two billion dollar government ship
building program were revealed today
when the shipping board asked con
gress for authority 80 pace S70l. .O00.-
000 worth of addiudnai ship contracts.
Al the same time aTi immediate appro-
pTiation OF $4,000. 90 was asked sor
the extension Of shipyards and tor
providing housing facilities for work
men.
Thus far the board has been au-
thorized to spend for shipbilding ST.
2S4. .O00. .00O. contracts for most of
which have been awarded. TOday's
request for a further authorization
and an additional appropriation brings
the estimates of funds needed for
shipbilding to $2.c1S.0O0, 600. II the
additional funds are made available
they viii be put largely into sabricat.
ed steel ship contracts. although some
contracts for ordinary steel ships will
be let as will few for wooden ships
on the Pacific coast
No new shipyards are planned by
the board. Teh fabricating yards have
contracts for about 500 ships now,
which will keep them constantly I'm
ployed into 1913. but the board is
anxious TO place more contracts and
begin on the task OF providing mater
ials
The boards housing plans call for
the expenditure Of about $3S.eOO00e.
The remainder of the sS2.O0O. 600 asked
will be used to expand shipyadrs al
ready built
High Profits Proved.
The senate commerce committee in
vestigating the builAins Of ships took
up today allesed hfSh profits allowed
in letting contracts. wooden ships
construction and the subject of hous-
Ing.
Questioning of Theodore =. Ferris,
chief constructor for the emergency
fleet corporation. in connection with
q report BY the corporations district
officer at Seattle. brought out that
the Clinchfield Navigation company
OF New York. was alleged TO have Oh
tanned profits amounting TO S74S,00o
on ship contracts when in fact the
company was not an actual builder OF
ships. The company, it was testified.
sold 10 the government at a profit of
S490. .000. four ships which the Sloan
Shiphuilding corporation OF Seattle,
was building for il. and that it receiS-
ed a commission of $S2S,O0 on con-
tracts it obtained from the fleet corp
oration for 12 ships which the Sloan
corporation now is building.
Mr.. Ferris denied that he had any
thing 10 do with the contracts but said
re introduced officers of the Clinch-
field company to Major General
George W. Goethals. formerly general
manager Of the fleet corporation.
Wood Ships Discussed.
Conditions affecting the construc>
ton of wooden ships were outlined by
F. A. Brown. general purchasing ofti-
Ger for the fleet corporation and F.
Z L. Sanford. a member of the Southern
Pine emergency board. Mr.. Bown eN-
plained the fleet corporations grant
ing of an increase in lumber prices
and said he thought it was fully iusti-
fled in view of the fact that timber
sizes were made larger. He said the
sizes were made so large that pine
( producers could not make deliveries.
but that the corporation expected TO
have delivered from Oreson within
I sA days enough fir 10 furnish the
heavier timbers for eco wooden ships
I Delays in pine deliveries were sttri-
buted by Mr.. Brown 10 some extent
OF the fact that builders. anxious 10
draw on the fleet corporations ad-
vaDca funds laid down too many keelS
instead Of going ahead with the con-
struction Of ships already laid down.
Their contracts. he said. called Tor
the payment of money advances when
reels were laid and many builders
took ADVANTAGE Of this to get money
quickly. The fleet corporation. he
said. finally was forced TO put a stop
to the laying of keels.
Mr.. sanford oontredicted the testi-
mony Of Rear Admiral Bowles OF the
I fleet corporation. who declared that
pine producers had fallen down on de-