Republican farmer., 1918-03-01
NEED $4,000 men
TO FINISH WORK
ON US. VESSELS
Emergency Fleet Corpora
ton Declares That Number
Are Needed Quickly.
272 SHIPS ARE NOW
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Original Estimate Of Ships
Cost Expected To Be
Trebled.

Philadelphia, Feb. 27.-More than
one-third of the war vessels and ner-
chant ships called for by the program
Of the United States government are
building in ship yards along the Del
aware River, according to figures
which have just been made public
with the permission of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation. The tonnage con-
tracted for, according to government
officials, has transformed the Della
ware Valley into the greatest ship
building center in the world.
W. B. Ferguson, a representative of
the Emergency Fleet Corporation, es-
Inmates that an army of about IS, 900
ship workers will be required to COM
plete' the 272 ships, including war YES
sells, contracted for by the IL ship
building plants between France and
Delaware City.
Work on 120 cargo-carriers at the
new government yard at Hog Island
is progressing and this plant is en-
gaging to turn out 5000, 0OO additional
tons in 1918. More than 2,250,000 will
be the Delaware Rivers first quota
III lue llSSI WHICH U uCl6 SctlI I6LeS Ull
to help win the war.
At the new shipyard at Bristol, Pa,
forty ships are contracted for. Here
more than 5000 men are at work and
is is expected that 10000 more will be
necessary to complete the vessels on
schedule.
Ten vessels are being constructed at
another new yard at Cornwells, Pa.
The force there of 500 men will be in
creased to 1000. At a well known
Philadelphia shipbuilding plant more
than 60 ships are to be turned out.
Most of these are government craft
on which more than 5000 men are en-
gagged. Another thousand is needed.
In the big yard at Camden, n. j.
across the river from Philadelphia
1900 men are building twenty-fou1
ships. More workers are needed here
also.
Two yards at Gloucester, N. J., are
turning out Is ships With a force Of
about 5000 men. Twice this number
of shipworkers is needed.
Two large plants, one a new one, at
Chester, Pa, have contracted for Is
and Is ships respectively. One plant
has only 100 men on the payroll and
requires at least 5000 more, accord
ing to the government figures. The
other yard is employing 1000 men,
whereas at least 5000 are necessary to
complete its contracts.
The plant at Hog Island is now en-
ploying about 10000 workers and off
Gals there estimate that at least $1,000
are needed.
Work in one plant at Wilmington,
Del, is progressing on 13 ships on
which $500 men are employed. This
company is in the market for another
1000 workers. At another plant in
that city eight ships are being built
by a force of LOCO men and officials
require 1900 1nCre.
A drive under the auspices of the
government is now being conducted
throughout the country to register all
men in the 81 trades allied with ship
building. Many of these mechanics
are now engaged in other occupations
and it is planned to transfer them to
the seaboards without disturbing in
dustry.
Labor difficulties and shortage of
steel and other materials, it is ex-
pected, viii treble the original esti-
mate of the cost of the ships con-
tracted for. Recent investigation of
the Delaware River plants indicated
that most of the vessels being built
will be completed in schedule time.