Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-01-05
Additional Funds, if Available
viii Be Put Largely Into
Fabricated Steel Vessels,
Some Wooden Ones,
HOUSING PLANS CALL
FOR $35,OOO,O00 OUTLAY
No New ShipyardS Contem-
plated, but Present Ones to
Be Expanded; <CIinchfieId
Company Under Fire,

lBT MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED WiRtl
Washington. Jan. 4.-Plans for
$1,000, 100000 government shipbuild-
ing program were revealed today
when the shipping board asked con-
gress for authority to place $7O1, ,000,-
coo worth of additional ship con-
tracts At the same time an immedi-
ate appropriation of $50, 600 was
asked for the extension of shipyards
and for providing housing facilities
for workmen
Thus far the board has been au-
thOriZed to spend for shipbuilding
$1,2S4, 100000 contracts, for most of
which have been awarded. Today
request for further authorization
and an additional appropriation brings
the estimates Of funds needed for
snipbuilding to $2,0lS,000,0 900. If the
additional funds are made available
they will be put largely into fabricat-
ed steel ship contracts, although some
contracts for ordinary steel ships will
be let, as will few for wooden ships
on the Pacific coast
Plan No New Yards.
No new shipyards are planned by
the board The fabwcatinE yards
have contracts for about 500 ships
now, which will keep them constantly
employed in 1919, but the board Is
anxious to place more contracts to
begin on the task of providing mate
rials.
The boards housing plans call for
the expenditure of about $35 600, 600.
The remainder of the $4,000, 900
asked will be used to expand ship
yards already built
The senate commerce committee in
vestigating the progress of shipbuild-
ing took up today alleged high prof
It's allowed in letting contracts, wood
en- ship construction and the subject
Of housing.
Big Profits Charged.
Questioning of Theodore r.. Ferris,
chief constructor for the Emergency
Fleet corporation, in connection with
report by the corporations district
officer at Seattle, brought out that the
Clinchfield Navigation company of
New York was alleged to have OBJ
tained profits amounting to $743.OO0
on ship contracts, when in fact the
company was not an actual builder of
ships.
The COMPANY it was testified. sold
TO the government at profit of $420,-
OOO four ships which the Sloane Ship
building corporation of Seattle was
building for it, and that it received
a commission of $323,000 on contracts
let by the fleet corporation for twelve
ships which the Sloan corporation Is
now building
Explains Lumber Advance.
Mr.. Ferris denied that he had any
| thing to do with the contracts but
said he introduced officers of the
Clinchfield company to Mai. Gen.
George w. Goethals, formerly general
manager of the fleet corporation.
Conditions affecting the construc-
ton of wooden ships were outlined by
r. A, Brown, general purchasing of
llcer for the fleet corporation and f.
l.. Sanford, member of the southern
pine emergency bureau.
! Mr.. Brown explained the fleet cor
! poration's granting of an increase in
lumber prices and said he thought it
, was fully justified in view of the fact
| that timber sizes were made larger.
Tax on Pine Producers.
| tie said the sizes were made so
large that pine producers could not
make deliveries but that the corpora
ton expected to have delivered from
oregon within sixty days enough fir
TO furnish the heavier timbers for 200
wooden ships.
! DelaSs In pine delit cries were at
! trlbuted by Mr.. Brown to some extent
10 the fact that builders, anxious to
dfaw on the fleet corporations ad-
vance FUNDS laid down too many keels
instead of going ahead with the con-
structlon OF ships already laid down.
Ihelr contracts, he said, called for the
! payment of money advances when
keels were laid and many builders
took advantage of this to get money
| quickly. The fleet corporation, he
said, finally was forced to put a stop
| to the laying of keels.
Mr.. Sanford Contradicted the testi-
mony of Rear Admiral Bowles of the
fleet corporation who declared that
pine producers had fallen down on
deliveries.