Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-27
MUST GET MEN
TO BATTLEFRONT
TO WIN THE WAR
Chairman Hurley of Shipping
Board Outlines Shipbuild-
ing Situation

New York, March 27.-Amerlca's
effort to meet German submarine
war, whose full menace has just been
revealed in British Admiralty fig
ures on sinkings of ships was out
lined here tonight by Chairman
Hurley, of the Shipping Board. in a
frank statement setting forth the
shipbuilding situation in the United
States.
Before the National Marine Lea
que, Mr.. Hurley disclosed that des-
pite delays, the country soon will
have $50 steel and wooden ways
turning out ships and that the
governments mammoth steel ship
building program of eight million
tons on March 1 was twenty-eight
per cent. on its way to completion.
This does not mean that twenty
eight per cent. is in the water, but
that construction as a whole had ad-
vanced that far. Eight per cent of
the vessels actually have been put
into service, Mr.. Hurley said.
The three government yards near
Philadelphia, when in full operation,
will be able to produce, Mr.. Hurley
said, more ships in year than all
the yards of England, heretofore the
greatest shipbuilding country in the
world.
The high point in the curve of
production has been delayed, Mr..
Hurley. pointed out, by a number OF
causes. Gradually, these are being
overcome, he declared, and before
many months, the peak lwin have
been reached.
When the high point ofithe curve
finally has been reached and the
magnitude of Americas shipbuild-
ing is realized" he said, sit will be
continuous performance fproduc-
ton and launching"
Unless we get out men to the
battlefront, we will not win the war,
and therefore it all comes back to
ships" said Mr.. Hurley. Upon the
Shipping Board has devolved the re-
sponsibility of supplying this need
and supplying it under the most ex-
traordinary conditions that ever ex-
listed, at a time when every other
industry is being taxed to its utmost
capacity in the matter of materials
and labor to provide war necess-
ities.''
The handicaps have been many.
We were not maritime nation. With
the exception of a few widely scatter
ed yards, merchant marine construc-
ton had almost become a lost art
with us. Then came this sudden
call at a moment when the Navy
was undergoing the greatest eXpan-
sion in it's history-when most, If
not all. of the established yards were
feverishly engaged in rush con-
struction on dreadnaughts destroy
ers, submarines. fuel ships, tenders
and other auxiliary craft and when
munition makers were absorbing
that part of skilled labor which has
not been called to government navy
yards or private shipbuilding plants.
So it was case of not only working
from the ground up, but of first
securing the ground upon which to
| make start, some of it marsh land
| which had to be filled in before
launching ways could be laid. There
fore, we who are engaged in the
work appreciate the magnitude of
the task. 1 doubt if the magnitude
of the task is generally appreciated.
1 am not here to emphasize. am
here to tell you of the situation as
it is.ma,
81 wish to remind you gentlemen,
that ships are not built overnight
| When we took hold of the job OF
shipbuilding, we found there was
no shipyard in eXistance with which
we could place an order. The old
yards were filled to capacity. We
were faced with the necessity OF
creating an entirely new industry
We had to establish the yards first
get the shipbuilders to take charge OF
them, and train the men to build the
ships.
There were thirty-seven steel ship
yards in America at the time of our
entrance into the war. We have
| located eighty-one additional steel
and weed yards while eighteen other
yards have been expanded. We are
| building in the new and eXpande ed
steel yards 235 new steel shipways
or twenty-six more than at present
exist in all the shipyards of England
! If we had been content with doing
! the job in a small way, we might
have built few new yards and add
ed a little to our capacity. A few
ships might have been finished more
| quickly; but it was the spirit and
will of America to do the job in a
big way and the judgment of the
I country will be indicated by the re-
suits when all these new ways are
completed and are turning out ships.
Many of these ways have actually
been finished. The new industry
we have created will make America
nsA H.. A1,o