Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-09-26
LOYALTY AT THE SH1PYARDS

7 i extremely gratifying to the people of Perth Amboy that
the employees of the dry dock companies in this city have DECIDED I
give a ful day of eight hours on Saturday to the important task OF
keeping ships and barges that come in here for repairs, moving as
rapidly as possible. There has been s. much criticism Of ship car
penters and builders in different parts of the country regarding the
attitude that many of them have assumed in looking after nell own
welfare first regardless of the needs of the country in winning the
war that it was disappointing, to say the least, to learn that the men
thus employed in this city were inclined to take advantage of the
great pressure Under which the country finds itself to press their
personal claims regardless of the damands of the VA and the boys
at the front.
For a large number of men engaged in such important work as
shin building to knock off work in a body every Saturday at noon
merely that they themselves might enjoy a half holiday, leaving the
vessels on which they are working stand idle for a half day
when the need for ships in the service Is so great, and when the gov
eminent is appealing to the patriotism of the men to remain al
work, was such a selfish disregard for the countrys welfare and the
welfare of the boys in France that it was hard to understand how
any body Of loyal citizens could act SO indiferenty. That the ship
builders of Perth Amboy have decided to give their full time to the
government during these strenuous days is worthy of the Perth Am
boy sprt and once more uphOlds the high standard set by this pace
iaaking municipality.
1t may be argued that as the local dry docks are engaged in re
pairine barges and schooners they are not doing war work in the
sense that the great yards at Port Newark Terminal, Hog Island and
other places are; that the class of vessels worked upon here is not the
class depended upon to bridge the Atlantic.
But aside from the fact that any kind of ship building and re-
pairing is extremely important now when tonnage is so scarce, we
have the direct fact that some Of the greatest munition plants In the
country are located in New England. These industries of New Eng
land must be kept going at full blast if General Pershing's army is
to be fully equipped for the spring drive that is to carry our boys
into Germany. But to keep these New England industries going
they must have coal and lots of it. Now, New England depends al
most exclusively upon water transportation for her coal and a great
deal of that coal is shipped through the port of Perth Amboy.
The barges that are placed upon the dry docks here for repair
are engaged in this coal carrying trade, and they cannot be loaded
fast enough to get the coal to its destination. 1t is apparent, there
fore. that when one Of these barges is withdrawn from service for re-
pairs that have become absolutely necessary to keep the vessel from
sinking it is highly desirable that the repairs be completed as quickly
as possible so that the boat can again take its place in the tow ear
rying coal down east for the hundreds of munition plants there.
If any Of thesesplants should be forced to remain idle for a half.
"a dag because the men repairing the barges that carry coal to keep
it running insist upon taking a half a day off, the result would be
felt directly on the battle front in France.
The only way we can win this war and win it quickly is for
everybody to do his particular part with the utmost speed, never.
letting up until the task is completed. That is the way the boys that
go tover the top keep it up until their objective is reached, and
that is the way we here at home have got to work if we are to back
them up in the same spirit that is shown by them.
The men working at the dry docks here are playing an import
ant part in the war activities. 1t is only by keeping everlastingly
at it that they can accomplish what is expected of them. w know
that the patriotism of these men cannot be questioned and, with a
realization of what it means to knock off work at noon every Satur-
day when there is real work to be done, there is only one answer,
and that answer they have made in the truly loyal spirit that has
been shown by them from the beginning.
Whatever may be said of the s~hipbuilders elsewhere, those of
Perth Amboy are 100 per cent. patriotic.