The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-22
|SH|P WAYS ON WHICH
|SH|PS ARE BUILDING
WILL Be KEPT BUSY

Washington, April 21.-(SpeciaL)
All ways on which wooden ships now
are building for the government will
be kept busy probably for the period
of the war. it was announced at the
offices of the United StatE shipping
board
New Orleans. April 21-(Special)
''Curtailment of the nations wooden
shipbuilding programme at this time
is inconceivable"
This declaration was made here to-
day by John III. Kirby, government
when shown Washington press dis
patches saying that all engines and
boilers the country can pSGduce are
needed for steel ships and that, be-
cause of this scarcity of motive power
equipment, future wood ship contracts
would have to be limited.
While lacking definite information
such as would permit him to max e
positive denial of the Washington
stories, Mr.. Kirby asserted everything
indicated, and he had been so in
IOTUIcQ, lHdl oil WOOuSu SHIPS WhiCH
can be constructed are to be built as
long as the scarcity of ocean tonnage
and the submarine menace continue.
There isn't in my mind any proba-
bility of curtailment of wooden
ship construction" said the lumber ad-
ministrator.
THE wooden ship, for centuries car
rier of the earths maritime commerce,
is today a life saver in the world
| 49, n
lea with wealth of magnificent for
est growth. Shall we neglect to use
one of our great resources at this
vital time when all our strength must
be put forth in a supreme struggle +"
A nation that can build ships can GER
tainly build engines to go in those
| ships"
| BY some it was considered very
! strange that the government was
| planning the expenditure of $50, 900, 600
on concrete ships an untried expert
ment, when it could not provide ma
chinery for wooden vessels, the con-
struction and operation of which was
| a demonstrated success. Concrete ships
require fully as much or more machin-
cry than wooden vessels of similar
| tonnage.
! 1t was pointed out also that if
| power equipment was so scarce the
| fleet corporation ITSELF with millions
at is disposal could easily put in its
| own shops and build engines as the
navy had done.
! Not few commentators were in
| clined to attribute the whole matter
| to revival of the hostile propaganda
work such as the wooden ship pro-
gramme encountered during its early
| stages.
While the public was expressing
confidence that nothing would be al
| lowed to interfere with wooden shin
| construction, private advices from
| Washington were being received here
| by the Southern Pine association in
dicating that the emergency fleet cor
poration is already looking ahead Ia
the building of more wooden ships.
Abandonment of the Ferris model
| and substitution of a modified Daugh-
erty type for all future wooden shi,
construction in gulf and Atlantic
yards has been decided on by the flee,
corporation according to the news
from Washington. Marine architects u
the corporation are said to be now
making final draft of plans and spe.
cifications for the modified ship. which
will be officially known as the ma.
tional ship. The name national comes
rom the fact that the Daugherty yes.
sells were first constructed at the plan
of the National Shipbuilding company
Orange, Tex.