ONE MILLION TONS OF SHIPS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 82, 31 December 1917, Page 8

ONE MILLION TONS OF SHIPS

BY MARCH 1 NEXT AMERICA'S MONSTER EFFORT American shipyards will complete 1,000,000 tons of ships by March 1. This-is the declaration of Mr. Hurley, of the American Shipping Board, told to a conference of Atlantic Coast buildera, Government officials, and labour leadors called to discuss the speeding up of 1 the ship-building programme. "In the whole of 1916/' said.Mr. Hurley, "we turned out a little over 750,000 tons. We will achieve in tho next four months far more than wo achieved in twelve months. The new goal of our expectations is ten times the production of 1016. But we can't achieve this by ordinary methods, by normal energy, or by .average initiative. This is nn extraordinary period in tho country's history. We are confronted with an abnormal task, and must apply abnormal methods. Every ounce of our energy and initiative must be directed toward the achievement of tho greatest task ever imposed upon a nation in war."

, The chief subjects taken up at the meeting were increasing the labour supply and better co-operation between the. Government and shipbuilders. _ "The Government alone," continued Mr." Hurley, "no matter how willing and anxious it is to do its part, cannot bring the production of 6hips to the maximum capaoity. of the country. Nor oan.the shipyards alone do it. The labour pf the country, no matter how intelligent, skilful, and patriotic, cannot accomplish it by itself. But, working together, determined to forget everything but the national welfare, we can; achieve the goal we have set for ourselves. Working even as we are, we have accomplished remarkable results. "I want to pay a tribute to the patriotism of labour in this situation. Shipyard owners probably do not understand tho'obstacles which the patriotic labour of the oountry has had to overcome. Nor does labour probably understand the obstacles faced by the shipyard owners. It is that Wb may ail understand each other better, pull together, and speed up, that Admiral Capps and I nailed this meeting. "We will build six million deadweight tons of ships in 1918. I say we are going to do it, rather than that w* are going'to try to. do it, because anything America sets out to do she does; As a fighting nation wo have a cfean recoru for victory. Wo have tlie men, we have the money, and we have a cause that is right. In striving tor this new goal, i we are cutting out red tape. Whatever help labour needs we shall give to la- j hour. -'Whatever help the shipyards 1 need we shall givfl To the shipyards.

• "We want the labour representatives who are here to tell us the best way to speed up and augment the labour supply. We want the shipyard representatives to tell us what they think will facilitate the work of production. The young Americans in the trenches are offering the supreme sacrifice of their lives. Their safety: and their success depend .on us. Much less is required of us than of them., and I' am confident that everything we have to give will be given in the same spirit of unselfishness." .