Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-05-05
UNITED STATES BEATS
ALL IN BUILDING SHIPS
Construction and Operation Place This Nation in Position
to Meet All Comers-Fuure of Yards
Is Now Made Secure.
Especial to The Timcs-p.spa,ch.l

WASHINGTON. May 4.@That tho
United states can compete success
fully with any nation in the world, not
oniE IN snip construction. but in ship
operation. is the assurance which now
comes from the highcs, official sources.
and which serves as AN answer to
one OF the most anxious questions
which the coming OF peace has raised
in the minds OF the American people.
ThiS country now has an investment
or something like $1,000. 100000 in q
new merchant marine Industry. This
industry. in so far as overseas shipping
is concerned. was brought into being
as war necessity. Gigantic SHY
yards have boon constructed: tens OF
thousands OF men have become skilled
in ship construction. hundreds of vcs-
sols nave been put upon the seas and
officers and crews have been trained
10 man and operate the new fleet
Materials Here Less E,pcn.i>c.
And 1t has hccn problem for many
months whether or not this vast ma
iional asset could be capitalized in the
whether 1t was possible TO keep the
ShiphuiidInE plants going; whether the
'raft now couInISS ionrd. or soon to he.
could he made profitable IN Compcti-
ton with the more experienced ship
ping ~ such maritime nations as
Great Britain and Japan and whether
the great industrial interests of the
country could looll forward to Amer
ican-owned facilities for promoting
trade in foreign markets
After an exhaustive survey OF the
whole enterprise. tho statement is now
authorized by the Shipping board that
shipbuildinS can and Will bc carried on
IN american establishments during the
years that are ahead. and that tho
merchant fleet can and will he oper-
a,cd with profit. Notwithstanding ccr-
tam handicarS imposed uron IL by uu-
necessary regulations or by tho higher
wages paid ia American Seamcn 'rnis
mt W IN hot
lnS the recent cancellation OF contracts
for something like 100000 tons of
tho vessels involved were Of a tvrc
that could not be valuable in com
mcrcc.
Materials Here Less Expensive.
Chairman Hurley. in answering tho
question raised as to the chance Amer
shows that the higher cost Of shin
yard labor in this country is largely
INSET by the lower cost of materials
This puts the matter souarcIy nm 10
the builders themselves. If they are
able 10 develop the necessary efficiency
IN their plants by capitalizinT their en-
pericncc during the war period they
can thrive. regardless Of veteran COM
pctiiors. Here is the way he LAYS down
the propositions:
Steel Cheaper Thnn In England.
''l'hc price of steel plates and shanos
IN america is about $50 a ton. which
- 80 ''Mci imam the price or such
plates and shapes in tirea; Britain
If the price OF materials is approNi-
mhteiN the same in both countries. the
next important question is one OF labor
Shirhniiders inform me that labor in
TN" yards has increased in efficiency
from 30 TO 40 per cent since the sign
me OF the armistcc. There is no uucs-
'lon nut that our wages are higher
than those paid in foreign shipbuild-
ing yards. The question OF labor
m9Wevcr' is concerned not so much
with wages as it is with the amount
or work produced by the men and the
efficiency OF the management
Fnir Profit ut $40 u Ton
the question whether our shin
yards can build as chcaDly as foreign
yards was answered tho other dnv
when the Submarine Boat COMPANY
OF New Jersey, announced it's rradi-
ness TO contract FOR 1000 ton steel
ships at S1io a dcadWcight ton a