Evening star., 1922-01-15
BY JAMES MARTIN MILLER.

Il NClAE SAM entertainer tnc
writer for fve days during
the past week. We discussed
the subject of ships. Uncle
Sam. you know. is the worlds master
shipbuilder. But he knows q great
deal more about ships and shipbuild-
ing now than he did previous to Sep
tember Z. 1916. the date of approval
of the shipping act.
On the above date Uncle Sam made
up his mind. over night. SO to speak.
to go into the shipbuilding business
on a sale SO vast that 1t is stagger-
ing to think of it. The story Of Uncle
Sam, master shipbuilder. sounds more
like a dream than a reality. From
September. 1916. to November IL. 1918,
the date of the armistice. Uncle Sam
worked day and night as a ship
builder.
Besides, Uncle Sam had to get out
and hustle together nearly four bill
lions of dollars with which to build
the 3,27O ships he had planned and
contracted to build. So you will see
that he was not only the worlds
greatest shipbuilder, but the worlds
greatest promoter as bond and stock
salesman. Get the cash." was Uncle
Sans slogan. And he got it. 1t must
have made the tens of thousands Of
bond and stock statesmen and promot-
"rs. "get rich quick" and all. green
with envy at the facility with which
Uncle Sam "got the money"
But like most promoters who get
"easy" money, Uncle Sam has spent
all of the nearly four billions Of real
cash he took in for shipbuilding pur-
poses and the bills are not all paid
vet. But Uncle Sam has the ships left.
Now, what is he going to do with
them? He doesn't exactly know. No
one else seems to be able to solve the
problem.
T-NCLE SAINTS attention was called
~ to the fact that he has $50 wooden
ships on hand These range in size
from $500 tons to $500 tons. Uncle
Sam was asked: What are you
going to do with these wooden ships?"
"Oh, it looks as though we may have
to sell them for kindling wood one
of his assistants replied.
But you have twelve cement ships
and eighteen composite wood and
cement ships. They can't be used
even for firewood." was suggested.
I'VE may find them useful for sink
ing in some harbors to fill IN and
improve the sea WALL" another of the
leutenants ventured.
One September morning in 1916
Uncle Sam began hiring experts,
mechanics, laborers and others by the
tens of thousands and into, the hum
dreds of thousands to build ships.
These were given free transportation
and wages far higher than had ever
before been heard of.
In addition, contracts were given
to private yards. big and little, to
build ships. 1t has been said, fac
customed to reckless statement, that
an undertaken or cabinet maker, who
can really make nothing but coffins,
could have received a contract from
Uncle Sam during the war period to
build ships.
1t is easy to say now, in loose and
careless conversation, that the Ger
man submarine menace was greatly
exaggerated. A careful study of the
situation during the most acute pc
riod of the war certainly reveals to
one seriously seeking the facts that
the worlds ships were in great
danger of destruction from Germanys
ruthless submarine warfare against
the worlds shipping; the ships of
the allies as we'll as those of neutral
nations.
In this situation the cry went up,
encircling the globe: "Ships. more
ships and still more ships" Some
of our own ships were destroyed.
Many citizens of the United States
were murdered on the high seas and
elsewhere, although we were a neu-
trail nation. Did Uncle Sam calmly