Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-03
DESTROY 2 HULLS
AT TRAYLOR YARD
100000 Expenditure Lost
When Government Board
Rescinds Contracts
CLIMAX ON WOOD SHIPS
Quick Sale of Fleet Built in
War Emergency
Urged
CLIMAX ON WOOD SHIPS

Fire or dynamite will be used by ON
cials Of the Traylor Shipbutlding Cor
poration. at Cornwells, as a means of
clearing two shpways of uncompleted
wooden cargo carriers so as to provide
room for the construction of other ships,
according to Samuel w. Traylor. Jr.,
assistant general manager or the com
panv
The Seyten, sister ship to the two
vessels which will be destroyed. vir-
tually has been completed and will be
launched today 1t Is Of $500 tons dead
weight capacity
The vessels to be destroyed are more
than 40 per cent complete and represent
an expenditure to date of approximately
500, 900. The shipping board resctnded
the contracts for finishing the vessels
about two weeks ago, according to Mt
Traylor. The yard has built and turned
over to the government seven ships or
the same type.
Destruction of the vessels is an echo
Of the long-drawn out Denman-Goethals
wooden ship controversy. Work was
halted pending efforts 70 ascertain what
disposition tho government wanted to
make OF them.
Destruction Approved
we have determined to blow them
I'D or burn them, as we need the room.
Mr.. TAYLOR declared. We communl-
icated with officials OF the government
telling them our intention, and they
seem 10 know of no other way TO han
die the matter. l might even say they
are in accord with our plan for destroy
ing them.
While the uncompleted vessels might
[ lnt har
entail considerable expense, Mr. Taylor
added
AT present we would have to make
ra dical and costly changes to make the
vessels float" he said. 'To take the
vessels apart is also unfeasble, for the
| ,roney necessary to do this would be
greater than the salvage"
There are ten shipways at the yard,
and the company says pressure Of busi-
ness demands that use be made OF the
| ways containing the two vessels. Ten
wooden craft. Mr.. Taylor said. had been
! ordered by the government a t one time
on a cost -plus-rea sonable profit ba sis
! The estimated cost of each ship is
10000. Mr. Taylor said the govern
/ uent. in accordance with its reimburse
ment plan, would pay the company fair
price for the two uncompleted vessels.
Men here conversant with shipping
conditions yesterday expressed the opin-
! ion that the government ought to sell
without delay all ships it has built to
meet the emergency OF war IL the loss
! contingent on the sale :: the vessels,
which is considered inevitable. is to be
kept at n minimum. This opinion was
| ELECTED Yesterday by the recent recon-
! rnendatlons of T. y. Hurley, chairman n
/ OF the United States shipping board. for
the future development of the American
! merchant marine.
Urges Quick Sale
The sooner the government sells It's
ships the less the loss" said j. s. W.
! Holton, president Of the Maritime Ex-
change. The price per deadweight ton
| will decrease with the return OF normal
| conditions. There may be public pro-
| test now at the loss resulting from the
sale of the ships. but that protest VIII
be much greater TWO or three years
hence, when there will be a loss far IN
excess of that which Is likely at the
| present time. 1t would be more eX-
pedient to sustain this necessary loss
now. when the people are still under the
| influence of big war losses.
George +. Sproule, president of the
commissioners of Navigation. upon his
attention being called to the suggestion
that ships, II sold now, would perhaps
bring $3.50 per deadweight ton, whereas
the cost of construction to the govern
ment was from SEES to $40 per ton, re-
piled:
Il question whether any Of the yes
sells built by our mushroom shipyard'
could be sold to a. practical shipping mar
for one-third Of the original cost.
don't know any man who would pay
$3.50 a ton for vessel for foreign trade
because ships are being produced in Eng
land for ssl ton. When things ar
normal again no doubt Great Britain
will build ships for $50 ton. Befor
, the war tramp steamships were built Il
, the north country of the British Isle
| for $50 a ton"