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Show BOOM IN SHIPBUILDING. At the beginning of the present month more than $100,000,000 worth of steamship contracts were held by shipbuilding ship-building companies on tho Delaware river, every yard being filled to its capacity. ca-pacity. One yard has all of its building build-ing capacity sold out for two or three years and has contracts for vessels that Will not. De acnvereil uinii ti'in. ...... companies arc being formed and the Old Koach yard, which has boen closed for some time, will soon he open for business busi-ness in the hands of new owners. Tho shipyards at the other points on tho Atlantic, and Pacific aro likewise rushed with orders and tho shipbuilding industry may bo said to bo booming for tho first titno in many years. A large number of the new vessels ordered and under construction nro oil tanker. One British company has contracted tor three of these ships at a cost of approximately approximate-ly $."00,000 each to replace vossoIh commandeered com-mandeered by the Uritish government. Contracts of this kind am a rarity in the United States and are, of course, due. to the fact that all the shipyards iu Grout Britain aro being used by tho government. govern-ment. As the United States will continue the work of upbuilding its navy more contracts will he let during the present fiscal year, although some of the new warships will probably bo constructed at tho navy yards. Then there is sonic prospect of legislation establishing a merchant marine, which will mean more r work for the shipyards. Now that this industry has been revived steps should be taken to make it permanent, for ships can be built as cheaply on the Delaware as on the Clyde. |