Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-25
100000 TONS
SHIP OUTPUT OF 10
100000 Tons to be of Steel, in
Gigantic Program Laid Out
for Next Year.

Washington, ID. G., April 25.-The
Shipping Board has decided on sub
stantial increase i'll its building program
for 1919 over the tonnage planned for this
year, and indications arc that the increase
will be continued in 1920.
Plans for next year were discussed Mt n
luncheon attended 10y Chairman Hurley
and other members of the Shipping
Board, Nicc-President Piez and Director
General Schwab, of the Emergency Fleet
Corporation, r. A. s. Franklin. of the
international Ship Control Committee,
Major Generai Goethals and other Off
cials. Especial attention was paid to the
question of passenger ships and rcfrigera-
tor ships, for which the War Depart
ment will make eincreaslngly large demands
as the war progresses.
For military reasons the exact size
of the future building program was not
made public. From previous statements
of Chairman Hurley, however, it has
been estimated that the construction in
1919 will bc in excess of 10000 900 tons,
the largest amount ever built IN any
one year by any nation Before Janu-
airy !, all the shipyards will hc IN full
have demonstrated their ability to build
Win fhhiN WIZ ~ tAtfittifhs
EIGHT MILLION tons or STEEL SHIPS.
OF the total tonnage next year, ap-
proxlmately 5000. 900 tons will be steel
There were 81 yards building steel ships
when the United States entered the
war. They had l62 WAYS. which were
increased TO l95 by the Shipping Board
Thirty new yards have been established
with total Of 203 ways. Thirty-ive
of the yards building steel ships and
25S OF the ways are on the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts, 80 yards and 66 ways are on
the Pacific, and l3 yards and "A ways on
the Great Lakes
II ~ expected that $500, 900 tons Of
wooden ships will be turned out next
year, virtually all on the Gulf and Pa
cihc coasts There now are 332 ways for
wooden ships.
Continuation Of the navy building pro-
gram may bc expected. but on compile
ton of emergency work ways for an
other b50,0 tons of merchant shipping
will be released
II was said that the conference was
the most important IN its bearings on
the shipping situation which had been
held since the Shipping Board was or
ganzed An international aspect was
given 10 the deliberations by the pres
ence Of Sir Cunnop Guthrie, the British
member OF the ship Control Committee
sCHwAR URGES soME CHANGES
MIR Franklin read a paper describing
the number, type, tonnage and charac-
Of vessels which should bc in
cludcd in tho building program Cen
rral Goethals presented the War Dc
partment 5 estimate rs TO the number
Of ships required for the army, the speed
they should have and the time Of delivery
Discussion Of the military needs occupied
the greater part Of the time. While details
were not disclosed, 1t was SAID that the
board was prepared to construct a large
number Of passenger carrying ships OF high
speed for army use.
Mr.. Schwab urged that few changes
be made in existing designs Of ships
lie sand the Bethlehem Steel Company
could have turned out guns and shells
for tn government more rapidly If Il
had been allowed TO manufacture them
after British and French models. which |
the company had been producing in
quantity for months Instead, new ma
,hlnerv had 10 be built and delay re-
suited All present agreed with the
Director General. who has been told he
can have free hand IN turning out the |
vessels ordered by the Shipping Board.