The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-10-11
Influx OF Workers Has Over
run A Score OF Commune
ties.

la, for the second time In American
history cradle Of liberty" Foster
ed by the natural advantages of the
Delaware River, together with proxim-
ity to the nations steel production
centers, the country's largest group of
shipyards, including the world record
making Hog Island plant. has grown
up in the home district of the Pennsyl-
vania metropolis.
In this district are employed more
than 100000 shipworkers, Onefourth
the enrolment in the industry
throughout the United States, whose
outturn to date is fifty vessels, twenty
seven of them ready for service. Yes
sells of all types, from 3,500.ton wood
en- steamers to huge steel freighters
of 10000 tons, are produced. The in
flux of workers has Overrun score
OF communities, enforcing the building
of seven new towns, yet the cry is for
more men and more men. Given q
sufficiency of materials and the work.
ers to handle them, the philadelphia
phenomenon" in ship construction
promises to become another worlds
wonder
In this region the Emergency Fleet
Corporation, through the companies
carrying on it's work, has undertaken
an extensive housing project. At Bris-
tol, Chester, CORVALLIS and Hog
Island in Pennsylvania, at Camden
and Gloucester on the New Jersey side
and at Wilmington in Delaware,
homes, bachelor apartments, barracks,
boarding houses and even hotel have
been erected, with the hope of solving
the problem of inadequate labor grow
ing out of poor accommodations.
How the yards on the Delaware
have expanded in the past eleven
months and what this influx of labor
means to the communities along the
river is indicated by comparison with
the census of last October, when the
aggregate of men engaged was less
than $4,000. Excluding Cramps and
the New York Shipbuilding Corpora
tiOn, which were then working as COM
pleted yards, the nine, other plants
On the Delaware then reported 10000
workers.
More than half the present force of
shipbuilders has been recruited from
outside the district, so that the popula-
tiOn growth from this source alone has
been double that of any normal year.
At Bristol, rs miles above Philadelph'
in and beyond the confines Of the pre-.
viously acceTted shipbuilding zone,
workers at the Merchant plant now ex
ceed the entire population of the Dor
Ough in 1910 Chester, where John
b. Roach built American warships If
ty years ago, has trebled in a year Its
population gain between 1900 and
1910.
Except the great Hog Island plant
to be treated in later article that O
the New York Shipbuilding Corpora
tion at Camden, employing 1880 men
is the largest in the Philadelphia dis
trict. When work under way Is com
pleted there Will be 20 shipways, mos
of them able to accommodate at on
time two ships of ordinary size. Tn,
yard set a new worlds record when
launched the collier Tuckahoe in 2
days from the time the keel was laid
Ten days later the vessel was CON
pleted, feat which has not bee
equalled for ship of this type. Trans
portation has been a problem, wit
the majority of workers forced t
travel long distances to and from tn
plant. TO overcome this difficulty tn
company is erecting the town of YOrl
ship a mile from the works, with
connecting trolley line. The commun
ty, which will be without saloons, wi
be made a part of Camden.
Neighboring Gloucester is anotht
shipbuilding center. When the glol
of the old race track days faded undt
the ban of New Jersey legislative e
actment, the town went to sleep.
has been awakened. The Pusey
Jones Company operates two yard
The "Pennsylvania" plant, two yea
old, has launched seven ships of q
sorted types within year, and Il
newly completed New Jersey" sho
have four vessels on tn ways. Launc
ings here are made sidewie into
basin, a process said to be much si
pier than the ,sternforemost sli
which has been practiced through &C
turies of shipbuilding. The compa
is erecting $50 homes for its worke
near the two yards.
Recently both the Gloucester a
Wilmington yards of the Pusey
Jones Company have been combin
under Emergency Fleet manageme