Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-11-17
SH|PDU|lD|NG IS
CONCERNED DEEPLY
IN NAVAL HOLIDAY
Plants for Building War Vessels
Would ps Put Into Cold
Storage.
WHAT RESULT WOULD BE
trom Charles Nrower Farmer, Editor
oi Every Evening.


special Dispatch 60 Every Evening.
Washington Nov. 1.-THE ship
hulidius industry along the Delaware
river and IN England win he similarly
affected " the Hughes proposal for a
io.yonr naval holiday. without cer-
tain changes. should be agreed upon
by the delegates 60 the Conference on
Limitation of Armament. AS the plan
appears on paper. the naval ship
bullding plants of the world would
virtually be- put into cold storage for
decade, aud tho various shipbuild-
ina crafts would bc broken up unless
the rVhlacomont program is cha. god
90 a certain extent. This was dis
eusscd In dctail yesterday. 10y a mem
brr of the british delegation. who
vetoed the views OF certain English
Eioms
The shiphuilding crafts are COM
puacd of highly trained artisans. who
tn thr majority ~ cases went through
long terms ot npprcnticcships before
lvarning their trades Their work is
moro hlghly specialized that that OF
the average nhh,-wurl,r. and in many
Yards both along the Delaware River
m America, and the Mcrsry and thc
tlsdv abroad. thvsc men remain with
the sumo concerns year after year. II
a HAT naval holiday is declared the
majority of them viii be thrown out
uf employment permanently. and will
become dNg ON "a labor market
already surirlt,d. fur q Is only in
naval yards tina, any work Of conse-
uucnco IL being carried ON today. In
ilmc, ~ course. they could find other
occupations. but this would mean that
Trey would lusc their old trade. and
that they would suffer heavy econ
nmlo loss untl they rcadiusted them
selves in the industrial world. The
naval shiphuildiug industry would
become one of very minor Importance.
ns only few plants would be main
tanned here on IN any other country.
and IN an probability they would be
government yards, kept going to do
replacement work. and render what
ono might term doctors service to
disabled ships.
n - true that under the proposed
plan there would hc certain amount
~ replacement work 90 he done ever
80 often, Also. from time to time some
vessel, like the old cruiser. Memphis
mvht SO On the rocks. That would
result Ia unexpected replacement work
ilut az enc person wittily stated today
W case n vessel was wrecked ar
honest country would not build an
other one, hug would go and buy a sec
,nd.haua ono--possihly from one d
the cuuic opera republics.
There u a certain element, stronger
in England than In America. which
win welcome all naval shiphuilding
plants being put Ia cold storage. Thai
element is composed largely ~ per
u1nf who oppose war purely on hC-
manitRrian grounds, and who hops
that once pat IN cold storage, the in
uuftry would never be revived.
Opposed 90 this group, both here an'
ln ENGLAND. are the interests which o'
not care 20 seo their plants forever
put out of cummission. They viii hav'
az their urappolnicd spokesmen II
Washington the rAval officials OF al
countries who feel that their respec
tive governments must not ho rende"
"a entirely impoteft. from naval view
point hy the breaking up OF the ship
iulslar crnfts, and the dismhntlin'
az commercial snipyaids which d'
much naval work. A. was pointed on
Yesterday. there H. no gsarantee tina
ths proposed holiday n agreed upon
>qould be- renewed az the end Of tn
qp-year period.
Tho sentiment among the masses
howevcr 80 strongly favors cessation
az naval construction that there