The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-03-25
Readjustrnents Of Plans
by Fleet Corpora
ton Announced
by Piez
Citizens of Morgan City Anxious
to Know Final DISPOSE
tiOn of Local
Shipyard

Citizens of Morgan City are Won
dering what final disposition will be
made of the local shipyard by the
Emergency Fleet Corporation, The
Chamber OF Commerce has been in
communication with the shipping
board at Washington. and the inforn1a
tion is given out that the board
has not perfected its plans as to the
final disposition of the yards, and
adds that due announcement will be
made public in the near future. The
Chamber OF Commerce is also in
touch with several corporations who
are interested in the local yards, and
hopes to have one of these private
concerns take over the yard in the.
event that the Union Bridge and
Construction Co should go out of
the shipbuildng business.
Recent conferences in Washington
between General Manager Piez of
the Emergency Fleet Corporation
and representatives of Pacific coast
yards were said to have stated THAI
unanimity in cost of production,
which prevailed at time when the
national emergency demanded speed
in production above everything else,
should be eliminated as quickly as
~ oh <r
business practice. Prospects of keen
competition in world trade routes.
the Western men were told, made it
necessary to hold construction costs
to figure which would permit the
payment of dividends from COMPETE
tive rates. which would have to be es-
tablished in order to get business.
The Pacific coast representatives, it
was said, agreed that a reduction in
cost was necessary and while no at.
tempt was made to obtain an approx.
al of any definite price for future
contracts, the suggestion was made
that $50 a ton, which is about the
same as the average. British price of
50 pounds, would be a fair rate. with.
increases according to the situation
Of the various yards.
Cancellation OF. orders which had
been placed for many thousands Of
tons of shipping was discussed at
length. 1t was explained that the end
of hostilities made necessary the can.
cellations as matter of economy.
While I he war continued, costs were
kept to minimum but were of less
consideration than construction of
bottoms, whereas now that the imper-
ative need has passed, the Fleet Cor
poration desires to place contracts at
as favorable a figure as possible.
lie was said there was no intention
of permitting any steel ways to re-
main idle, however, especially as long
as the prohibition against acceptance
of contracts for for foreign govern
ment remains. The cancelled con-
u oStS VIII UC ICDldCcU WIFI new or.
ders when the ways are empty below
those prevailing during the war
which sometimes ran as high as $3.50
a ton.
Government assumption of labor
and material hazards also will be
abandoned in the future. During the
period Of hostilities, the Shipping
Board adopted a policy of absorbing
increased costs. Increase. III wages
ard overtime pay alone amounted to
s3OO,OOO,0O0. Hereafter, shipyard op-
orators will assume the risk of a rise
in the price of material or OF demands
for more pay from their workmen,
the government withdrawing it's SUI
oervision over such questions and
treating the industry like any cthe,
with which government orders are
placed