New-York tribune., 1919-02-28
Board Expects
NoSllipbuildingg g
Halt on July |
If Appropriations Bill Is
Held Up Special Measure
viii Be Rushed Through
By Theodore NJ. Knappen
Ne,c Yoj-Js Tribune
lYdshinQton BMre0u


Washington Buredu
" WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.-The Ship
ping Board has drafted the main out
lines of its building programme as
altered and adapted to peace condi-
tions. The sundry civil appropriations
bill, carrying in all $660,000, 900 for the
Shipping Board, of which $3.50, 900, 900
in round numbers is for construction
or purchase account, conforms to that
programme and amounts to a Congress
sonal approval of it.
When the bill is passed the United
States will be irrevocably committed to
nationally built mercantile feet of
about $500 ships with an aggregate
tonnage of about 14,500, 900 deadweight
tons.
In order to meet the emergency
caused by the fact that funds avail
able for the continued building of the
reQulsitioned ships have been exhaust
ed and those for the direct contract
ships nearly SO, Sl00,0O0,00O of the
above amount is made immediately
available, the rest being available after
the beginning Of the new fiscal year,
July /
If this provision had not been in
serted the Emergency Fleet Corpora
tlon would haye been greatly embar-
rassed in part of its building between
now and July l, for, although it is
within its authorizations as a whole, it
has run over on the roquisitioned ship
account and is actually short of cur
rent appropriations within the authori-
?ations to enable it 70 meet promptly
all obligations already incurred and to
be incurred between now and July l.
No Suspension of Work
This fact gave rise to the report that
unless Congress passed the appropra-
tions now asked shipbuilding would be
temporarily suspended On May is.
Something like this will happen if the
appropriations should fail 1t is the
intention, however, if the sundry bill
should get held up in the jam of legis-
latlon TO introduce and rush through
separate bill carrying the Shipping
BOARD items, so that there may be no
restricting of shipbuildng activity
pending action at a special session of
Congress. or, indeed, pending the next
regular session.
On February 10, Mr.. Hurley, chair
man of the Shipping Board, in a letter
addressed to Chairman Swagar Sherley
OF the House Appropriations Com
mittee, submitted facts and figures
showing that the final programme de-
cided upon by the Shipping Board
which would be substantially carried
out unless Congress intervene6, would
include total of 2,427 vessels of all
kinds, with total tonnage of about
l4'ooo,oOo, assuming that all cancella-
tons ard suspensions then in effect
should remain so.
OF these, 592 vessels had been COM
pleted or purchased comnlete at the
end of 1918 and their total tonnage was
about 100000.
At that time the total programme
called for 1853 vessels of a toal ton
mage of 16,4S2,225.
Disregarding some cancellations
made previously, which reduced the
total number of contemplated vessels
from something over 3.10O. about $50
vessels OF tonnage of 2,700,00O have
been suspended or cancelled.
10 repeat, the programme as it
stands TODAY in substantially its final
form, subject only to alteration bv
Congress, calls for grand total Of
2427 vessels of about 100000 tons
deadweight.
II Congress passes the $66O,0O0 900
appropriations asked for, work will
hdVe SO lar progressed on this pro-
gramme before the next Congress can
deal with the subject that there will
be nothing to do but 90 ahead with
the programme now laid down.
AS of January /, ,263 ordered ships
of 7,733,000 tons had not yet had their
keels laid. Allowing for the $50 can
cellations or suspensions leaves about
200 ships on which rivet has not vet
been driven. But most, if not all. of
the keels will be laid by July / and
the larger part of the material already
has been assembled, and much of it.
such as engines, pumps, boilers and
auxiliary deck equipment already is in
the machine shops and assembling
The Shipping Board already has can
celled or suspended construction I'D to
the limit Of justification. That is. it
has cancelled wherever it thought that
IN view of the amounts expended or
the compensation that would have to
be made it would be better to take the
loss than TO complete CONGRESS-
might have differed with the Shipping
hoard IN Judgment on this point, but
by July 1 building will be SO far
advanced all long the line that Con-
gress would not think of standing the
losses that further cancellations would
involve.
Steps Are Taken to Raise