New-York tribune., 1918-03-27
y. S. Ships Are Beating
The Kaiser, Says Hurley

Notwithstanding the difficulties of
organization, the handicaps of bad
weather conditions, transportation en-
bargoes and railroad congestion, nearly
as puch tonnage has been constructed
IN American shlpyards in the last three
months as by all the other maritime
nations of the world combined.
with our total Of 730 wood and steel
ways, we will have 521 more berths
than Sir Eric Geddes in his recent
speech stated England has at the pres
ent time.
"Our programme on wooden ships
was delayed BY the fact that we were
unable to provide the necessary big
timber in sufficient quantities from
the forests east of the Mississippi,
River. This situation, which has beer
serious handicap, am happy to say
is steadily improving.
The situation giving Us the most
concern is the completion of turbines
and engines. The very rapi.i expansion
of the shipbuilding programme caught
the turbine and engine manufacturers
totally unpreparcd.
'Now as to labor-our strong right
arm! There has been much talk of
conscripting labor, OF forcing il into
shipyards as our soldiers have been
brought into the camps. | am fully
aware that ! am flying in the face Of
& growing popular sentiment that men
should be drafted into the industry
which supports the battle lines, but
wish to put myself on record as being
opposed to the conscription of labor.
[ do not believe conscription necessary.
for | believe labor itself will produce
conditions which will render idle all
thought OF conscripting workmcn. The
vast MAJ or.ty o. our Workmen are men
of intelligence, and when they come to
a full realization Of the fact that any
detection on their part now will not
only imperil the nation but will IN ure
their fellow workers in almost every
field of industrial activity, | feel sure
they will respond to all demands made
upon them. Unless they fully do their
part their brothers will suffer.
1T would be useless to manufacture
material and supplies and pile up the
products on the wharves if there are
no ships to transport them. SO unless
industries must slow down or halt COM
pletely, with the result that thousands
of workers throughout the country will
suffer for lack of employment.
High Wages for Labor
II believe that labor has begun to
realize that fact, but l want to drive
it home to them, for there are some, I
regret to say, who do not yet sense
their responsibility. There are many
who are not working to their full ca
paclty. There are many who, because
OF the high wages they are earning. are
prone to take too many holidays. Labor
generally throughout our shipyards is
to-day receiving the highest rate of
wages ever paid for similar work in the
history. of the world. The additional
cost of our ships, due to increased
wages IN shipyards covering the pro-
gramme we have mapped out, will be
IN excess of 100000, 600 We expect
and we have right to expect-the
country has right to expect-that
labor will render for this increase OF
wages a corresponding increase in pro.
ductlon-that is, the output of ships.
There have been inefficient ship
yard owners as we'll as inefficient
workmen. Where there is an ineffi-
Gent owner who does not understand
the viewpoint of labor and who think:
orig Of ms profits labor has Il righ- &c
cNmllan. In the speed that vas ncc-
essary in. the early days when the
plans were being made and the first
contracts were being let some of the
work was given the men who lave not
proved their ability to get results. AS
we have strengthened our contracts
and distributed the work with greater
elaboration and care, we have likewise
had IN mind the wedding cut of the
employers who are not getting the re.
suits which experience has shown us
We should get from efficient men. We
intend to know what the costs and the
profits are in every yard. We feel hat
the public is entitled to this informa-
ton.
Great Increase in Workmen
"In 1916 there were less than $4,000
men employed in all the shlpyards OF
the country, and on March 2, 1918, we
had increased this number to 236 900
of which 1905 were working on act
ua. ship construction and the remain.
der in yard construction and other
branches of the industry. Thousands
of others are employed in taking out
the t'mbers for our wooden construc.
ton and at the scores of inland stee
plants which are fabricating the parts
for steel vessels.
Il desire to make a brief reference
to what have been popUlarly called oul
| three fabricating shipyards. The So
called fabricated ship is almost a new
method of ship construction, almost
as new to England as it is to US. But
from the progress of the work as il
has thus far developed, we are conf
dent that it will be the means o1
| adding millions of tons to our merchant
marine.
These three assembling plants, with
their fifty ways at Hog Island, twenty
eight at Newark Bay and twelve al
Bristol, will, when they are in full op
GRAFTON, produce in single year more
ships than England has ever been able
to turn out in the same length o1
time. There is no doubt but that we
are destined to be one of the leading
shlpbuilding nations Of the world. We
will have the largest number of ship
yards, the materials and the labor, ant
when our shipbuilding plants are com
pleted and are well organized on sounc
business lines, SO as to produce ship.
cheaply and rapidly, we will not only
produce sufficient ships to become the
leader in the commerce of the worlt
by furnishing transportation at rea
sonable rates, thereby performing
service to the rest of the world, bu
we will build ships in such large mum
bers and at such fair prices that We
will become the mecca Of the ship
building trade of the world"
John Barrett, director general O.
dressed the diners, urged the estab
lishment of great merchant marin,
between North America and Soutl
America. He offered it as the solu
tion to the problem of uniting tn,
countries of the Western hemisphere
in sentiment and common interest.
Henry Howard, director of the re