Evening star., 1923-09-10
JAPAN MAY SUPPLY
SHIP REPAIR WORK
American Yards Look for
Considerable Business in
Replacing Lost Tonnage.
By J. C. RoYLE.
gnecisl pisnatcb TO The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star,
NEW YORK, September io.-Con-
siderable conversion and repair WORK
Is expected to be received at AmerI-
can shipyards as a result OF the
Japanese disaster. Many marine
builders are awaiting with consider
able anxiety the results of the tidal
waves which accompanied the Japa-
nese earthquake and fire and the full
toll of the marine losses. 1t Is PROB
able, they think. that some OF the lost
tonnage may be replaced imme-
diately.
In the meantime, many of the yards
are turning to other lines 10 keep
their workers busy. Some yards are
engaged in fabricattng steer. whiIe
others have undertaken large con-
tracts for car building and repair
work for the railroads. In the Phila-
delphia district such work is being
supplemented by contracts for hydro
electric equipment, including turbines
and water wheels. The Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company is utilizing many of the
$500 men at work in making loco,
motive repairs, fabricattng box ana
coal cars and manufacturing automo-
bile wheels and electric turbines.
Steel forgings and steel, brass.
bronze and gray maleable iron cast
ings are being made for commercial
purposes.
In the San Francisco bay region less
than a dozen of the score of ship
building companies that were active
during the war are still engaged IN
ship construction and repair work ana
are doing that only In connection with
other activities The Bethlehem Ship
building Corporation plant, In addi-
ton TO completing construction OF
half dozen government submarines
Is fabricating sheet steel for oil stor-
age tanks, making structural steel Tor
bridges and has just completed turn
ing out an order for twenty cars for
the San Francisco municipal car lines.
The Union Construction Company,
another big factor on the Paclnc is
making steel pipe. structural steel for
the bridges and has just completed a
large floating balloon hanger for the
Navy The Hanlon Company In ad-
dition to turning four passenger SHIPS
into lumber carriers, is making a
variety of ship machinery for COM
mercial purposes The Los Angeles
Shipbuilding Company is making box
shocks and has turned its activities
largely toward the lumber in
dustry The Southwestern Ship
building Company is making steel
pipe while the Pacific Coast Ship
building Company has turned part OF
its plant into a chemical works and
is fabricating rubber packing.
Hone for Government Work.
Although the government is to sell
twenty-one battleships and battle
cruisers for scrap under the terms OF
the disarmament treaty, shipyards
have not given up hope of large fu-
ture government contracts and re-
gard their ventures into other nelds
largely as stopgaps until the next ses-
sion of Congress shall have outlined
mara definitely its prOgram of naval
construction.
Shipbuilders hope that money will
be appropriated for the construction
of a number of cruisers of the fast
scout type such as the Omaha ana
the Milwaukee recently completed at
the Tacoma yard of the w. II. Todd
Shipbuilding and Construction Com
pany. Officials of the Todd Company
assert it is expected that Congress
will approve continued construction
of T,50o-ton cruisers on the west
coast, as these are permitted under
the terms of the disarmament treaty.
1t is also pointed out that submarine
additions may be authorized and that
airplane carriers may be added with
out limit. One of the largest Navy
vessels ever built is an airplane car
ried on which $500 workmen are en-
ployed by the New York Shipbuilding
Corporation.
Fight Saving of Money.
Cities where government navy Yards
are located are making vigorous pro-
tests against reduction of appropria-
tions for such yards and consequent
reduction in working forces.
1t is regarded as improbable that
the seven United States destroyers
which went ashore off the south Cali
fornia coast can be Salvaged, and the
replacement of these vessels will re-
Quire, an expenditure of at least $S,-
500 900,