Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-08
u. S. Shipbuildlng Future
Rests on Peace Table
D. Frederic J. Haskin


the shlpbrIdlng industry Of this coun-
try? How many of the predictions which I
were so confidently made during the war i
regarding the development Of the Ameri- |
can Merchant Marine arc likely tn come I
tr,ie2
In the opinion Of most shipping men of |
| this city--nnd, indeed, of shipping men |
everywhere much Of the answer 10 |
! these questions hinges on what Is done |
at VersaiIles in the next few months. so
| far, very little light is shed by the press
dispatches from Paris and London.
But q consensus Of opinion is that the
! freedom of the seas, guaranteed by league
/! of all nations. or else the largest navy in
| the world, arc the alternatives for ArneTl-
| ca. If she wishes 10 get big share IN the
world trade.
| LAuNcHIHGs cHuRa DELAWARE
l phi1adelpha il now the greatest ship
building center Of the world The Del
| aware has many tunes been called y he
| Clvde of America and the River I3gan
of the New World It is more than that
now. From the great Harlan and iiol-
lingsworth yards at Wilmington TO the
Younger plants 1T Bristol both banks or
the river present an almost continuous
line of shin vavs. The waters arc NOISY
with the aplashes Of launching and the
air is filled with the clatter OF rIvet8
At ihe present time there arc about
hundred and fifty separate ways IN the
vicinity oi Philadelphia. These repre-
sent ten or twelve separate concerns EN-
plnviup IN MI more thnn 10000 workers.
So,ne az these concerns, like Cramps,
existed long before the war, and some ilkc
the gigantic plant At Hog Island have
becr built since II started But All oi the
wards were expanded during the war
These corporations were formed, and
| these expansions were made iooKHg
further ahead than the end Of the war.
The eyes of the shipbmlders were on the
| prospect Of revival OF tho American
CARVING trade.
Since philadclphia is the shIpbuilding
metropolis of the world, II Is likely that
the opinions of Philadelphia shipb'nider8
! or the situation are likely to be repre-
sentative of shipbnidng opinion through
, ont the country The conflict ot opinion
. evlnced herc Is also likely to be repre-
sentative.
, The tonnage Of the world, sbipbTild-
crs saw. il now about 100000. The
3 normal tonnage Of pre-war times was l3.-
| On0om. With the necessity Tor rebuild
} | ing the war-devastatcd countries and
The necessity for replenishing stores which
{ the various biockades have exhausted
: there will be a demand for ship bottoms tn
the extent Of Is, 900, 900 u 20,OoO,OD tons
5 Trhere is no reason why hall Of thus
7 should not be American tonnage, sad
.hipbuiIder, land there II no reason Why
seyen-tenths nf it should not DC b'nii
!, here
LACK LITTLE TO LEAD.
& There il significance in this statement
Five million tons additional would gv'
This country safe lead among martins
s nations. II should be remembered, too
| that outside England no other country J
70 nreDarcd To build ships wholesale. IN
g nations of Europe and Of South Americ'
II must have ships at any cost and Il the,
cannot build them, they must have then
built Of course, American shlpyard
controlled by the Emergency Fleet Tor
poration are now prevented from bulid
j. ing for foreign countries but It IS expecte'
this restriction will very soon pc lIited.
le This is viewing the situation from It
c. most hopeful and, except politically, II
a most logical angle. There Is, however, u
!. opposing view
lie for decided dropping on q America
le shipbuilding. and predicts that the titty
nf vvav yard nj Hog Island will be abandones
S. BY the end of summer.
N Il confess, | cant see any boom,
Id said he. gloomily, with no sign Of let u
le in overhead expenses. Next TO material
the biggest item N expense = labor ant
o. If | know the sh.pworker, ne Will not cor
w sent to even the mlldest sealing down {
{, | his wages - long as he : needed: ana ne
be needed If we re building ships. chII
Of moderate tonnage which cost $50, W
three wears ago, cost 81 100000 now
will take a good deal OF world trade
make UP such a difference. Even Il
most fervid investors arc going 10 thln
twice before putting money INTO snip
Another point Is that some sort
imperialism precedes or follows an a
pressive foreign trade policy. IL was u
British colonies and the British navy WIN,
gave England the chance for It's mercantl
marine. After Spain lost her possession
there weren t many OF her gqlleons abroa
The Germans realized this when they star
ed their elaborate colonization schemes
South America and elsewhere. And II
perialism now seems doomed
This man Is one OF those convince
that Wilson cannot put over his ieag
Of all nations and that the freedom OF q
seas will never be anything more tn
theoretical.
WORKERS WE'LL ORGA NlIEp
From all indications he Is right n J
gard 10 labor The shipworAers 4
tightly organized aud thoroughly 9
ternincd to keep all they have game
His figures as to costs, though rath
high. are not exaggerated. Yet his 60
\ cluson is open 70 attack With time
B more thorough organization II is probai
\ that shipbuilders can effect a considerat
IN tonng down in prices and even thou
ships cost twice what they do, good
81 share Of world trade would weld han
St some returns
ti From survey Of the maritime II
s alton most observers are convinced th
t4 an American merchant marine stan
ff its hest chance under league Of natlo
: and the freedom of the seas IN m G
: tirely literal sense 1t has been chare
that Jealous .tcamship agencies of
: foreign power are nov spending a 60
Fl deal oi money IN this country 70 d
+ courage American public opinion agar
Fl both these projects