New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-11

We e"i All tuc present state or our
knowledge rely only upon steel for
large vessels. The 5000 ton wooden
ship is doubtful, and until we have act
ually built some $500 ton concrete
ships, which We are now doing. we
would not be justified in largely di-
vertlng energy, material and labor
from what we are sure of.
'lnsuperable Difficulties"
Remain To Be Overcome
"Now the argument for the concrete
ship has been very ably presented by
The Tribune, but there are so many
factors to take into account in shap-
ing our general policy that it is almost
impossible for any one who is not in
daily touch, as | am, to understand
why we do not take up on a large scale
what abstractly seems like promising
venture. Aside from the efficiency
question, which I have already dis
cussed. there are some insuperabe
difficulties at the present time
"a hull is only about 60 per cent of
ship and tho easiest part. too. We
have had great difficulty in securing
sufficient power. We are beginning to
get out Of the woods on that phase
now, but we are in desperate plight
with regard to fittings. We have many
hulls lying at docks or moorings wait
ing for the thousand and one scccs-
series that we are unable to get.
"Takc valves, for instance. You
wouldn't worry about them; neither
did the Shipping Board at the start.
But even the largest valve manufacture
ing concern in the country is an APP
palling number behind in its deliveries,
and, in the meantime ships wait So it
is more or less with practically every
thing that converts a mere hull into a
ship.
of we were to build a lot of con-
crete hulls now we wouldn't have the
accessories to fit them out or we would
have to take them away from the
wooden and steel shps to which we
are committed and so we would be
wasting energy and labor without
meeting the emergency. And even
then we would be taking chances with
new and improved proposition.
Private Enterprise Would
Further Complicate Problem
"This shortage Of accessories. as also
the shortage of labor and power, ex-
plains why we are opposed to private
enterprise taking up concrete ships.
1t is not dog the manager attitude.
Private undertakings would affect ad
versely the main programme even more
than large concrete programme car
ricd out by the Shipping Board, for the
former would be a promotion of that
chaos and lack Of coordination which
we are trying to get rid of, not only
in shipbuilding but in other industrial
sides of the war.
This is just as true of the ship
building activities of other govern
mental subdivisions as of private com
| panies. That is why Mr.. Hurley went
to the War Industries Board on the
question Of the army transport SER
vice building not only concrete, but YES
sells of any material, without provid-
ing for correlation with our work. We
must control or cooperate in every
thing that pertains to ships, not in an
arbitrary manner, but so that there
shall not be detrimental interference
"You say that unskilled labor only
is required in the construction Of con-
crete vessels, but that applies only to
the hulls. When it comes to installing
machinery and fittings skilled labor
must be drawn on, and that is precise
ly the kind Of skilled labor that is the
scarcest and that it takes years to
train good man can learn to be a
riveter in comparatively short time,
but 1t takes years to make a copper
smith, for example. Now, can't you see
that we cannot afford to have concrete
vessels or any kind of vessels built
without cooperation with us?
Labor Shortage an
Important Consideration
Neither private enterprise nor the
army can build ships without drawing
on the labor that we sorely need. Be
sides, in these times labor is labor
Shipyards Of any sort require vast
+ amount Of unskilled labor, and more.
over we must develop skilled from I'M
skilled.
"A few small boats for the army
seem like a trifing matter, but if you
locate one yard for that purpose il
the Puget Sound district, where We
are now $4,000 men short for our com
mitted programme Of steel and wooder
ships, or at Wilmington, N. c., where
one of our own concrete yards and one
steel yard are already taxing the labor
supply and the transportation ia
clitics you only add to the difficultie.
and contribute to the obstruction O.
what is under way.
"You ask why we are building any
concrete ships in view of what have
said. In the first place, We believe
that it is our duty to try out the con