The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-19

 pletion of it's contract with the French government for the construc- tion of 3S trawlers The contract wih be completed iR< September or Ocso- Der. said MT. Remington.
 Mir. Remington said:
 "The shipbuilding industry IS thoroughly demoralized We have had to throw 15,000 men out of em- ployment because we were not per- mitted to take any foreign contracts, and yet the shipping board has no contracts to let The Foundation company could get plenty of con tracts from foreign sources. We have had one inquiry after another, yet the shipping board says we cant accept the contracts, and at the same time 1t has nothing to offer. On the con trary, it is canceling contracts
 When asked if the report was true that the Foundation company's yard at Savannah would be closed, Mir. Remington said
 "'What else is there to do? When we finish this contract we will have no further work. We have closed four yards because the shipping board tracts
 Replying to inquiry as to why tue shipping board continued a policy which was adopted as a war measure to build up the American merchant marine, Mir. Remington said;
 eff you knew the effort that has been expended on this problem with out results you might be able to up- derstand the reason for it. but 1 have been unable to do so. Nobody knows. or if anybody does he won't tell; Con- gressmen are opposed to it and mem bers of the shipping board oppose it. Hurley has blocked the game. Hurley has done more to destroy American shipping than all the German subma- rines
 "'When the call was made to ship builders to concentrate energies and efforts in building up the shipping in- terests of the country, the response was great, even noble in a measure But the necessity of preventing for eign contracts being executed in th'5 country now does not exist. There may be a change of policy, but we have been unable to get the slightest satisfaction. We don't know what to expect, and the prospect is that we will be allowed to take no more con tracts. If there is no change we have no choice but to close the yards as the work is completed
 The following news dispatch was sent out a few days ago from Chicago py the ASSoClated PreSS.
 Importance of the American mer- chant marine in the development Of the export business of the country was discussed today by speakers at the sixth national foreign trade con- vention.
 "Homer L. Ferguson. president of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock company, referred to the huge sum expended by the govern ..l, ,tv;,, xxr2r r as a result of lack of preparedness. He said the total already has reached $4, ,000, ,000.0 900. The value of the entire sea- going shipping of the world, hc said, does not exceed $2,0oo.ooo. 900.
 "He criticized the war wage sched- ale which the government imposed upon shipbuilders and said that today there are negro workmen in his plant drawing $175 a week wages" The following news dispatch was sent out May from Memphis, Tenn, by the Associated Press.
 Failure to allot sufficient tonnage to South Atlantic and gulf ports is holding up millions of feet of hard wood lumber sold to foreign buyers by southern manufacturers accord ing to resolutions adopted at a meet ing of the American Hardwood Man ufacturers' association and the South ern Hardwood Traffic association here today, addressing a plea for re- lief to Edward N. Hurley, chairman of the United States shipping board. 'The resolutions asserted that the southern hardwood manufacturer is unable to ship his lumber through Atlantic ports owing to the high in- land freight rates and that the lack of sufficient sailings from gulf ports is preventing him from getting his fair proportion of foreign trade. The | resolutions charged that the shipping board. by alloting ships to Atlantic and not to gulf ports is 'discriminat- ing against the gulf ports and the southern hardwood manufacturers.
 Mir. Hurley was petitioned to take steps immediately to relieve the sit nation by placing at the disposal of hardwood lumbermen ships that can be loaded at New Orleans or other gulf ports to foreign destinations. more par ticularly the European ports The association represents hun dreds of large and small Ina rtw od
 manufacturers in the Mississippi val | ley"
 | These matters affect vitally two ] regard to the south. There may bt good reasons for the conditions indi-
 cated in these news dispatches. If so those directly interested-the me.
 whose money is invested and the mer
 whose employment is involved-an nc
 the business public generally have z