The sun., 1919-05-20
SHIPBUILDING WILL
GO ON IN DOMINION
Government Intends to Con-
tinue Programme Until
Well Into 1920.

OTTAWA. May 1s.-Hon. c. c. Bal
lantyne. Minister OF Marine and Fish
cries. in an address before the House.
disclosed tho intention of the Govern
ment to continue it's shipbuilding pro-
gramme throughout this year and well
into 1920. The principal reason for this
decision, Il was said. Is to avoid the vast
amount OF additional unemployment
which would result were the Government
contracts to be cancelled and the ship
yards closed.
There were forty-five steel ships now
under contract in Canadian yards from
Prince Rupert to Halifax.
The value of the contracts was Sb2-
SOL, 450. the net tonnage 26t.050 and
twenty-five would be completed during
the present year. The price varied from
$3.50 to s215 per ton 10000. 900 would
have been paid UP to the end OF the
fiscal year. The speed of these vessels,
he said, varied from 8 to IS knots for the
largest, and he added that in no country
In the world. not even in the old coun-
try, did they turn out better ships than
in Canada The Canadian ships were
lower In cost than the United States vee-
sels-at least $25 per ton lower. He
read q statement Of Sir @. b. Hunter,
the British builder, that ships in the
United Kingdom were now costing about
three times their pre-war price, or $3.50
per ton.
TN view Of the fact" the Minister
continued. "of the great demand for
ships and in view Of the fact that we could
sell more ships, we are not going to dis
continue shipbuilding for the moment
We realize that there are 10000 men en-
gagged In the shipbuildlng yards through
out Canada. We realize also that there
are fully 10000 more men engaged in
allied industries. To cause 10000 men
to be out of work at the present time
would be n rather critical thing for any
Government to do. Therefore It Il is not
the intention OF the Government to cease
our shipbuilding programme now. We
are going to order additional ships at
least to keep the yards requiring bust.
ness busy throughout the balance Of
1919 and probably into the year 1890.
There must be q limit to the number
which the Government could use and we
are getting very near to that point 30
that when I say II IL the intention Of the
Government with the arDroval OF Parlia-
ment to order more ships. the shipbuild-
ers must not expect that there are many
more orders to follow. Therefore they
must look for orders for their shipyards
the same as any other industry In the
country would"
Mr.. Ballantyne referred to the con-
tracts for steel plates placed with the
Dominion Steel Company. The contract,
ne said. was for 100000 tons at si.15 a
hundred pounds. At the time the con-
tract was placed there was difficulty in
getting steel plates. Shipbuilding yards
were paying from cents to 10 cents a
pound The ruling prices in the United
States were from I to II cents Since
the armstice, however. the price OF steel
plates in the United States has dropped
to az cents and Mr.. Ballantyne de-
clared that he had taken up with the
president OF the Dominion Steel the ques-
ton OF modification OF the contract He
added that he was free to say to the
House that the Government could modify
the contract or, II It wished. could can
eel It
Sir Herbert Ames asked IL the Govern
ment intended to retain the forty-five
ships It had built and the additional
ships, or did the Government intend to
sell some Of these ships and build others.
Mr.. Ballantyne replied that at the
present time II would not be wise for the
Government to sell any OF its ships. He
had to-day received an offer from New
York for tho Government ships at $50 a
ton. II business fell OF later, II might be
we'll for the Government to dispose of
some of its ships.