Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-31
PROGRAM
TO PROVIDE WORK
Building of Four Great Liners
by Grace interests
Starts Soon.
BY BRADLEY w. TRENT.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, January 31.-Big bust
ness generally, particularly exporters,
and Government officials as well as
shipping circles were keenly interested
in the announcement that the four
steamship services controlled by the
Grace interests will be consolidated
into one system and that a $1,000, 600
construction program will be started
involving the building of four great
new liners.
Weekly sailings by fast, modern
liners from New York and San Fran
cisco to Central and South America
will aid in developing inter-American
trade and intercourse at a time when
Great Britain and other export nations
are making special effort to expand
their markets in Latin America.
Factor in Unemployment.
In addition, the Grace construction
program is viewed as factor in unem-
ployment relief. Approximately $6,SOO,-
900 viii be paid in shipyard labor at
the Kearny, N. j., yard Eighty per
cent Of the total $17,000,000 cost will
be expended in wages to labor, either
in the shipyard itself or in the factories
where the materials for constructing
the ships are manufactured
The announcement was made by d.
Stewart Iglehart, president of the Grace
Steamship Co. The lines which now
are brought under one head are the
Grace Line, which for years has oper-
tween New York and Panama, Colon
bia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile; the
Panama Mail Steamship Co., operating
freight and passenger vessels between
New York and San Francisco via the
Panama Canal and Central American
ports; the Grace Line, North Pacific
division, operating from Seattle and
San Francisco to Chile and Peru, and
the New Orleans-South America Line,
connecting the guf port with Colombia,
Ecuador, Peru and Chile.
With the four new liners placed In
service travel time will be speeded up
from two to eight days on the Atlantic
and Pacific Coasts and there will be
weekly Sailings' from New York and
San Francisco for the principal Pacific
ports Of Central America and South
America
Our willingness to embark at this
time on a ship construction program
involving $4,000, 00O," Mr.. Iglehart
said, defines our belief that by build
ing new tonnage we are creating a
demand Tor its employment, in addi-
ZION 10 It's being an expression of conf
dence in the future Of American ship
ping.
The development of sympathy and
understanding as well as commerce be-
tween the Americas justifles a system
OF 1nter-Amer1can marine transporta-
ZION served by vessels equal or superior
In point OF speed and luxury, to those
operating over any trade routes"
Sailing Time Reduced.
The new liner Santa Clara. placed
in service last year and joining with
its sister ships, the Santa Barbara and
Santa Maria, cut the sailing time from
New York to Panama to five DAYS. to
Callao, Peru, nine days, and Valparaiso,
Chile, Is days. The four new ships to
be placed in service in 1882 will have a
minimum cruising speed of 18 knots an
hour when fully loaded and will be built
especially for comfortable travel in the
tropics. Every cabin will be an out
side room, each with a private bath
room. All public rooms, such as social
halls and smoking rooms, will be or
| the promenade deck, as will the dininp
| saloons. They will be the first Ameri-
can ships built on this unique design
The ships will be 500 feet long anc
have accommodations for 222 first.
class and 70 third-class passengers, be.
SIDES large freight capacities and re.
| frigerator cargoes.
| Copyright. 1919