The sun., 1919-01-24
l,054,O55 TONS OF
US. SHIPS BUILT
picz in His Report Shows the
Work Of Emergency Cor
poration in 1918.
REPLIES TO CRITICISMS
Construction Of Troop Boats
Not Completed Under Pro-
grammc, lie Says.
Sntr.ni Despatch 10 Tat Soy


vAsulNGToN, Jan. 23,-Charles Piez.
nrector-ticneral OF the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, presented figures = to
The Foreign Commerce Committee of the
Senate to-day showing that the actual
ship construction in the United States
,or the calendar year 1918 totalled s.
cS4Ojj lightweight tons. just 945,0i5
IONS less than the optimistic goal set by
the year.
These fsurcs, Mr.. Piez explained, did
not represent deliveries, but the total OF
shin construction including work done
0, incompletcd vessels. He said Chair
man Hurleys statement OF 5000, 900
tons for the year was not an estimate OF
sccompl shmcnt, bu. the goal the ship
building organization hoped to reach.
Rcview of Work.
Director General Piez appeared in an
syer to a resolution by Senator Nelson.
At the same time he replied to news
PAPER statements attacking the progress
Of the shipping Board. In a formal
statement he reviewed completely the
accomplishing of the Emergency Fleet
Corporation up TO date, giving detailed
figures on construction up to December
81 Tie published statements were
cited in the Nelson resolution and were
printed several weeks ago.
In reply to the statement that not a
single troopship had been turned out on
Shipping Board order, Mr.. Piez said that
roopships were not contemplated in the
original building programme. because
he War Department was of opinion that
here was sufficient available tonnage
with German and British passenger
ships 1t was not until the spring of
ast year. he said. that the War Depart
ment called for troopships and that con-
tracts were then Immediately let. but
they had TO be placed in new yards, be-
cause the old yards were full with or
de-s
Mr.. Piez gave the actual output of YES
se's for the year in the following figures
-Four hundred and ten steel vessels OF
251O,077 lightweight tons, 10 composite
ships OF 1900 tons. los wooden ships
~ 316.4O0 tons, a total of 526 vessels OF
ees3.977 tons. In addition II ships
contracted for in Japanese yards were
delivered with an aggregate tonnage OF
1885 lightweight tons, making n grand
total OF $40 ships OF 3,i03.6s3 tons.
Work on Deliveries.
The deliveries" Mr.. Piez said, "are
not fair measure OF the years work
OF the corporation. The early months
OF the corporations activities were de-
voted largely to shipyard construction
and the year 1917 ended with deliveries
OF forty-ninc vessels of 301.So9 dead
u eight tons. fifty-seven vessels of 403,-
SOC lightweight tons had been launched
and not delivered: 391 keels OF vessels
having 1.90S.13 lightweight tons were
laid Little or no work. however, was
done beyond the actual laying OF keels.
Neither had vessels that were launched
Ieached the same stage OF completion
as the vessels now in the water. 1t was
bat fair in determining the actual &C
oomplshment of the Emergency Fleet
Corporation for the year 1918 to ascer-
tain not only the deliveries forA917 but
an inventory of the progress Of work
under way but not yet delivered ex-
pressed in terms Of the completed ship"
Mr.. Piez attacked frequent statements
that many of teh ships requsitioned