Evening star., 1947-05-18
America Stops
Making Ships
Industry Is Apparently
Doomed to Long
Inactivity
Clarke Beach

shipbuilding industry are grinding
to stop.
American yards in the war built
the greatest merchant and naval
fleets in world history, but Maritime
Day, this Thursday, will see them
closing down by the dozen or ekine
out an existence by producing vend-
ing machines, odds and ends Of
machinery and gadgets to set UP
bowling pins. Neither private oper-
ators nor the Government is giving
them ship orders.
Foreign shipbuilders, meanwhile
are expanding their facilities and
building ships as they never did
before.
Army, Navy Concerned.
Army and Navy authorities ex-
press concern about the effect OF
this on national defense. They say
shipbuilding facilities are needed as
never before in case. OF emergency.
They point out that the United
States Is up to It's neck In military
and economic commitments all over
the globe; that it has . new posi-
ton as q world power and a new
policy of accepting major share
of responsibility for maintaining
peace throughout the world; that
small peoples in far-off lands are
depending on the United States for
assistance, and that world peace is
on q somewhat ~shaky basis.
At present, we have enough ships.
We are short on the passenger type
of vessel and the shipping men con-
slider our merchant fleet out Of bal
ance in some other respects. But
we can get along with what we have
for a few years. We have sold to
foreigners only 831 of the 5,944 YES
sells we owned at wartime peak.
Ships Age Fast.
But ships grow obsolete fast and
year after year more and more of
these craft will be outclassed by
fast, efficient, modern vessels which
foreign builders will launch. Eventu-
ally they will all Nlaave to be re-
placed. If the shipyards go to ruin
and their stats of skilled technical
men enter other industries, they
could be re-established only at
great cost in money and time.
OF the approximately 125 yards
which built sea going vessels dur
ing the war, II. Gerrish Smith,
president Of the Shipbuilders' Coun-
Gil of America, says only IL are
now engaged in merchant ship con-
struction and only five are building
naval vessels.
Forty-three merchantmen and six
dredges are being built. BY the
end of the year all of these will be
completed except two, on which
work will end early in 1948. Eleven
Navy ships are under construction,
Mr.. Smith added. Two will be COM
pleted this year, seven in 1948, two
in 1s4s.
Much Conversion.
About half the personnel of the
shipyards are doing repair work or
conversion of war-built vessels. This
conversion work will taper of this
year and be entirely dried up late
in 1913, says James L. Bates, .di-
rector of the technical department
of the Maritime Commission.
Americas present meager con-
struction program calls for build
ing 100000 deadweight tons of ship
ping by 1850. which is about what
Sweden and the Netherlands are
producing,
According to Vice Admiral w. w.
Smith, chairman of the Maritime
Commission, we are now doing only
5.8 per cent of world shipbuilding
Great Britain and ireland are doing
SAB per cent.
Investors Skittish.
The reason our shipbuilders are
not getting orders is that private
operators are skittish about invest
ing now in view Of the stiff competi-
ton that the new, modern foreign
fleets will offer them In two or three
years.
Nearly all the operators are max
ing big profits in the offshore trade
today, because they have the ship
ping field pretty much to them
selves. But they are expecting the
worst when normal conditions re-
turn.
Both Government shipping mer
and private operators seem con-
vinced there viii be no major reviya.
of shipbuilding unless the Govern
ment places the orders or subsidies
them.
>, Das.riba.ea b. sh. Associated Press,