Evening star., 1945-08-02
Portland, Greg. Seeks
New Industries as
5hipbuiding Wanes
(FiJth OF a SerieS.J
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

fUTIld1lu anu HuJdCellJ uiuuSIild
points of the Columbia River En-
pire" have produced enough mer-
chant ships in the past four years
to put any nation in the forefront
of world maritime powers. But the
contracts now are running out fast
and other ways must be found of
supporting great population when
peace comes.
The war gave Portland oppor-
tumity to prove itself as one Of the
worlds greatest shipbuilding CEN
ters and city leaders intend their
metropolis to hold its place on the
industrial stage.
What is being done about it?
Frank E. McCaslin, Chamber of
Commerce president, reported that
a hundred companies were seeking
sites for postwar plants. Two big
chemical manufacturers plan multi
million-d dollar factories that will
feed on Oregon's unequaled forest
reserves. Mr.. McCaSlin said Port
land will be the center of general
industry, and not city dependent
upon one type of manufacture, the
subject of sharp booms and ruinous
depressions.
To Be Postwar Shipping Center.
Portland was a big port before
the war. frequently ranking seventh
nationally in export tonnage. After
the war more than so ship lines
will make the city a regular port of
call. Shipping is depended upon to
add greatly to the city's postwar
standing 1t has been the major
Pacific base for lease-lend oper-
stionS.
Far more tonnage has funneled
through Portland to Russia than
from all other Pacific ports COM
bined. Last year 1877 Russian ships
carried away from. the city and
satellite ports l ,30l 900 tons OF cargo,
valued at more than STAT 900, 900.
This year, it is indicated, exports
will be only slightly less. In 1914,
the Columbia River ports handled
60 per cent of all goods shipped to
Russia from the Pacific Coast.
Business leaders believe that after
the war. Russian ships will continue
to use the Oregon facilities. Port
land seems assured of getting large
share of trade with the Orient.
Agriculture to Expand.
Expansion of agriculture and for
est products industries promise to
add materially to Portland's postwar
economic health. Oregon has the
largest timber reserves in the Ma
ton, and since 1888 has been our
greatest lumber producing State
Farm lands still are being opened
and there will be great agricultural
expansion. Portland is the meat
packing center of the West Coast
and one of the biggest grain ports
of the country Crops are very di-
versified and the land rich. The
Willamette Valley, to name just one
part of the State, is one of the
countrys richest farming areas
Oregon looks for a $l00 100000 per
year tourist trade after the war.
The State has more than its share
of scenic beauty, the Columbia River
Valley. with Snow-capped mountains
on either side, being one of the
most beautiful spots in the country.
The Portland area has had no
war plant strikes The city boasts
that not single man-hour has been
lost from strikes. AS in Seattle, a
cooperative relationship between
labor and management has been de-
veloped in the war that should serve
as model for the East and Midwest.
1900 Ships Built in War.
When an EaSterner thinks OF Port
land he thinks of Shipbuilding and
Henry J. Kaiser, of the Kaiser rec
ord of delivering a l0,000-ton Lib
erty ship 13 days after keel laying,
of Vanport City, second largest in
Oregon with population of 10000;
built in ITO days to house some of
KaiSer's workers.
The Portland area in the past four
years has turned out more than
1900 ships. most of them big ones;
hundreds Of Liberty and Victory
ships, many escort aircraft carriers,
huge tankers, SubchaSerS, attack
transports and gunboats.
The record is truly amazing. In
1889, a census showed there were
only 1874 persons engaged in ship
building Last year, at the time of
peak employment, there were 49,
900 persons working at the three
great Kaiser yards-Oregon Ship
building Co. Swan Island and Van
couver, across the Columbia River
in Washington-and three smaller
independent yards of Willamette
Iron e. Steel, Commercial Iron
Works and Albina Engineering &
Machine Works.
10000 in War Work.
Oregon Shipbuilding Co. alone
built 437 Liberty ships, well over
100 Victories, plus troop carriers.
Swan Island has finished 146 big
tankers, and now has taken on ma
jor repair contracts for the Navy
besides its new construction pro-
gram Vancouver has record of
10 Liberties, 80 LIST, so escort
carriers, 40 large and small troop
carriers. Kaiser Portland yards at
the peak employed nearly 100000
people.
Employment in war work in the
Portland area approached 100000
at the peak. Area population in
creased from 405, 900 in 1910 to a
presently estimated 100000 1t is
interesting to note that 304 per
cent of Portland war workers came
from the North-Central States, with
Minnesota a heavy contributor, as
large a fraction as we're recruited
from both oregon and Washington.
Many of these out-of- State workers
already have returned home. Port
land fears it will lose the highly
skilled recruits, retain those OF
doubtful worth.
Nearly nine-tenths of Portland's