The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1945-10-05
AP Mdn Believes
ingalls, Postwdr
Future Looks Good
BY John F. Chester
CAP Business Editor

Nfhi DhotftCSo L0itOil
A. shipyard that refused to ac-
cept cost plus profit contracts
from the United States govern
ment throughout the war is
booming today on the Gulf of
Mexico with 35 untitled contracts
for sea-going vessels ard a huge
cry for more labor.
The ingalls, Shipbuilding Cor
poration here was the first stop
gpection tour bv 18 newspaper
on a nationwide reconversion in
correspondents. They found not a
problem of reconversion but a
situation in which a company had
its hands more than full with or
ders for fast passenger cargo yes
sells one of the few such ship
building situations in the nation
with a heavy backlog of Diesel
electric engines as a cushion.
we think we have got some
thing said Robert fngersoll in
gals, Jr. 1--WE refused to accept
during the war any contracts
that gave us a set profit over our
costs. One of the results was that
we still have Jul men working
on a basis where every penhy
counts to us and frankly we are
making money"
The ingalls, yard has 10 big
ships on its ways today and about
eight more in its Quitting docks.
The whole ward was built out of
ar unpromising Mississippi mud
flat starting from scratch in
1889.
Still Employ 5000
Few other companies in the
country are making what is
known in the shipbuilding trade
as the C-Three. a super victory
ship that can go places at around
10 knots and carry both passen-
gers and freight in prewar pay
load quantities.
The Pascagoula shipvard start
ed with 800 employees and reach
ed a peak of well above 1000.
1t is now back to around 5000,
working a 48-hour week on two
shifts. But soon ingalls, hopes to
have it back around the 1000
mark and right now will hire
any competent man who comes
into this yard. 1t seems that a
lot of his workmen have gone
back to cotton growing or pick
ing and without even a semblance
of labor disturbance he is short
handed.
Can Build Diesels Now
Ingalls, found out that he could
build electric Diesel locomotives
without even an ounce of recon-
version from shipbuliding. He
has one pilot model. He can turn
out IL a month if he gets the or
derS.
The going price of that type of
model wiuld be $4,000. He has
shipbuilding contracts that will
last until January. 1947, as fast
as he can build a hundred and
twenty million worth of firm
peacetime ship contracts.
During the next two years In
gals will build Ia modern cargo
vessels for Brazil's Lloyd Bra
zileiro Lines. They will build
three de luxe passenger vessels
for Delta Lines. seven ships for
Moore-M Met ormick. six refrigera-
tor C-Three cargo ships for the
maritime commission and a mum
Der of high speed sea-going
dredges for the United States
Army engineers.
I'm contrast to many compa-
MES we are not now tied up in
arguments with the government
in regard to our bookkeeping, be-
cause of the simple fact that my
father refused to work on any 9TH
er basis than submitting a bid
win or loose" said young ingalls,.
Built AL. Welded Craft"
I'VE have another advantage"
said Monro Banister Lanier, pres
ident of the corporation, as he
walked around the yards with
the touring correspondents. This
is the first project that is going
all out for welded ships as against
the rivited type made by most
companies"
Accounting Lanier's word was
the comparative quiet of the ship
yard. He has worked out an as
line that starts in Biz
hundreds of miles
away. where pieces are fabricat-
ed and shipped by trucks and flat
cars and assembled into the final