Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1917. SHIP BUILDING IN AUSTRALIA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1770, 29 December 1917, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1917. SHIP BUILDING IN AUSTRALIA.

NOT much Ims'hccii heard 1 01* some lime of I lie shipbuilding scheme of ihc Commomveulth Government, lm( an immiuncemcnl made recently by llie Prime Minister shows llml (lie somcwlml ii'mliilibus idea has not been abandoned. 1( may be remembered (hal Mr Hughes got the Stale Premiers and then die various labour leaders together in Melbourne, and ashed for their co-operation. The Premiers promised il readily enough, bill (he union men quibbled, and were very much more concerned with the ultimate effect on their unions ralher than with the ullimalc effect on Australia. Finally, however. most of them came info line. Then the big strike occurred, and (he whole matter, for a dine, was completely lost sight of, Mr Hughes now announces that the Federal Government is going to push on rapidly with die scheme, and proposes shortly—the expert engaged by the Commonwealth (lovcrnmenl has arrived in Melbourne —to commence actual building operations. “Sites selected by the various Stale (.lovernments are now being inspected,” lie said. “Material is being purchased, and the whole preliminary work connected with the enterprise is now being undertaken. The State Governments are now completing all their preliminary work; and il is hoped that shortly busy yards will he in full swing throughout the Commonwealth. Private firms will have every opportunity to co-operate by building main and auxiliary engines, and all the machinery needed. The proposals submitted to the unions will apply to all the work done, either by the Government or private firms. The need for ships is vital, and it is intended to work two or even three shifts, and, therefore, a very large number of men will he employed.” The recent action of Mr Hughes, in ordering fourteen wooden ships of from to 3,000 tons from America has been subjected to a great deal of criticism lately. There are three main objections to Mr Hughes’ action. First, they say, it is absurd

to. send (his work-to America; scc.o»ul, ships must be found to carry the necessary hardwood from Australia to America; and, third, tlie majority of experts consider tluilC steel ships can be built almost as readily as the wooden article, and steel ships can be used after the war, when wooden ships will probably be scrapped. Air Hughes’s only reply is that these ships are urgently wanted, in addition to all the ships that Australia is capable of building, in the next year or two. GENERAL LUDENDORFF. IT has been reported that General Ludendorff is to succeed General Hindenburg as Germany’s war chief. There would be a touch of irony about this, for Ludendorff is supposed,to have given Hendenburg his chance. Although quite unknown to the general public, Ludendorff was, when the war broke out, at the head of a staff department in Berlin, and it is said (o have been he who recalled to (he minds of the higher authorities (he fact that in old Hindenburg Germany possessed a commander who might lie worth trying on the East Prussian frontier. Ludendorff rose with Hindenburg, (hough for a long while his name stayed in the background, until at last it began to be rumoured that his was (he real brain behind Iliiidenburg’s operations. This may be true or it may not, but it appears that the German press and public ;jre .'-beginning ‘. to believe ak least-that-Ludendorff deserves jgconsiderable share, of.,the credit, [and the photographs of" the two ..men arc : '.usually published together. ~ Luden- ‘ dorft is til years .old, and has had ,a very varied career. -He entered the army as an infantry lieutenant, served some years with the Marines, passed through the Staff College, was empliyed as a eaptain in the General Staff, and then rejoined an infantry regiment, at Thorn. Between 1000 and 1008 he served successively in (lie General Staff, in what may he called the Naval General Staff, and as an instructor ai the Staff College. In .1012 he became colonel of an infantry regiment at Dusseldorf. In the spring of 1014 he was made a major-gen-eral, and given command of an infantry brigade, lie was sent to (he western front when (ho war broke out, and decorated for his services tit Liege. Then he was taken by Hindenburg to the oast. His subsequent advancement is said to be wit bout parallel in I lie history of the Prussian army during (be last eculurv.