Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-09-23
Eastern Builders
Make Good Promise
of "Br;dge of Ships

ways, their timbers towering above
marsh girted bays and rivers; hundreds
Of hulls, their naked or half clad ribs
yawning skyward: acres OF giant
cranes and derricks. machine shops
and sawmiile-this, is composite is
picture of war-driven shipbuildins on
the North Atlantic coast, where more
than $50, 900 men are striving to help
make good the nations promise OF
Bridge Of ships" from the homeland
to its soldiers overseas.
These Ahen. equivalent almost to -four,
divisions of the troops whose needs
they are serving, have completed sixty
five vessels capable Of carrying $685.
900 tons OF cargo on a single trip. They
have launched sexenty others. And all
this in a year when preparation rather
than production necessarily has been
the task Of the newly created eastern
yards.
make schwab forget the Pacific"
was the placarded message which
greeted the emergency fleet corpora
TONS director general when he visited
Connecticut shipyard. fhe enthus-
iasm which dictated the slogan il ex-
hibited by great majority Of the man.
ayers and workers in the plants which
dot the coast from Maine to Virginia
and inland waters as far west as Lake
Erie. Outdistanced in production early
in the war by the already organized
shipbuilding industry of the Pacific,
the Atlantic yards now are getting
their stride, and standardization OF
their output-a type to a plant-wlll
speed the work. They have performed
miracle in assembling materials. err
Getting plants and housins, training
shipbuilders and building ships.
In this accomplishment, which IN
peace times would have occupied fve-
years rather than twelve months, there
has been a graphic illustration OF the
first half Of the war observation-disclosures
or fight" policy. Not by compulsion-
for the shipbuilders are volunteers
men have fiocked by thousands to the
Atlantic yards and have labored thru
days OF ten hours. There Is nothing
figurative in the sweat Of the riveters
brow. And the riveter, backbone OF the
industry, is typical Of his fellows.
Wages are high. from the laborers
$40 to the rivet drivers $50 to $50
day, but emergency has compelled their
payment.
Production, encouraging as it Is. has
not kept pace with the emergency, feet
corporations program. There are many
contributing causes-scarcity OF ma
terials, Transportation delays. made
quate labor supply and absentee'sm Of
workmen. Some Of the shipworkers
can not stand the prosperity which
s,adcnty has become their lot. The
result is five days work where there
might be six and a consequent slow :
ing up of production Near the larger
cities absenteeism averages Is to ~
per cent tapering down to and 10 per
cent in the more isolated communities
Managers, at first attributing the trou-
bic to Sunday work. when employees
drew double pay and in many cases,
laid off, a week day for recreation.
generally have discontinued seven day
operation except in emergencies. But
every days muster still has Its list OF
absentees. obviously serious blow to
efficiency.
But "slackerism" Is an offense Of the
minority. The real spirit OF the ship
yards is typical Of America at war.
Propaganda plays It's part. a telling one,
and by means Of competition in con-
struction honor rolls Of high production
and MONDAY meetings designed to en- :
phasize the importance Of the ship
workers share in the national effort
enthueiasm is maintained at a high
pitch and is reflected in output.
/ Every plant has it's school, where
bridgebuilders and structural iron
workers learn to erect steel ships and
! where house carnanters are TAUGHT the
principles of wooden hull construction,
In both branches Of the industry as
well. many laborers have passed tests
which have rated them as skilled work
men. In the yards of the submarine
boat corporation at Newark the school
lganags" have built and launched three
5.500-ton steel freighters. an inspiring
example. Of the American way OF dotns
things when they have to be done.
The shipyards army. like the khaki
claid force whose going to foreign soil,
Ecalled it into being II an organization
of youth. At Newark an SO year old
civil war veteran directs work on an
Quitting pier. but this case is an ex-
lception. Less Of an oddly Is a negro
boy OF is who is operating gun. as
yard phraseology terms the expressed
afro riveting machine Men In the
Juveniles and tiiirties. with fewer y. the
\ forties and fifties are building the