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Show II SfflPBlDIi 1 1 RACEJS BEGUN I KetuiMnwry Stage cf Work Over and Speedy Conctruc-l.on Conctruc-l.on Under Way. m, CHICAGO, April 11- American ahtp- Hj: pelhlliL the mo;st vi,aJ 'actor in H American -war nrtlTiiies OTA discussed H br rm in ih" thick of the practical work her today ai the meettllK of the thippins: pceiinn of the chamber of commerce ol the Dotted States, which holding lie ffixih annum mi Th' speaker WU Or-orse J. Baldwin. rnlnr vice president of the American International corporation, chairman of fhe board of American International :hipbnildin corponition vhich opcr j aics the Hoe Island and two other yards, president of (he Pacific Mail Steamship company and chairman of l ihr board of the New York Shlphulld- ins corporation. Baldwin Gives Optimistic Viaw. Mr Baldwin expressed the view, nrf shared in many Quarters, that the con-Hf con-Hf struccion of four million dead weight l tons of shipping can he expected of l American yards in 191 S. He estf- mated approximately the same ton-I ton-I na.ic from other countries, flj Costs have increased 50 per cent, he J said, and added that wooden ship con- sftructlon was stfll an experiment and had not yet been found attBfactory. He asserted that i In preliminary Stage of the buildinc of fabricated Hj ships was over and the actual race for H speedy construction under way. World Shipping Reduced. On Jun 80, 1914. Mr. Baldwin said. Hj his corporation estimated tbe world's 1 Shipping at 49.000.000 cross tons. By January 1. 1918. he said It had decreas-ed decreas-ed to 29 000,000 tons, or about 59 per 1 cent of the original, in 1917, be said that 11.000,000 dead weight tons of H shipping were destroyed while build Hj inc in the I'nited Stales increased from a normal of 500.000 tons to 900.- ! 000 tons during the year, f All other countries produced 3.S00,- 000 tons Tonnage losses were I9is. 1 he estimated at 8.000.000 to 10.000.000 I H from all countries. In 1919 he .aid. American shipbuilding would be In full swing fulfilling all demands upon Standardized Ships Hl Standardization has already reached Hj a point, he said, where "99 per cent of the fabricated parts of the standardiz-ed standardiz-ed steel ships are being made outside the shipyards and a platform made at Montreal fits a plate punched at Shar-on. Shar-on. Pa. The needed labor for his corporation, the speaker declared, has been mobil-ixd mobil-ixd and sufficient bteel authorilative-ly authorilative-ly promised. Throughout the plants are placards. "The sooner we finish the ships the sooner the war will be end-ed." end-ed." England, he added, is now follow H ing American footsteps in preparing Hi for quantity production of standard! ed ships. |