1900 IN TWO YEARS

Southland Times, Issue 24648, 21 January 1942, Page 5

1900 IN TWO YEARS

CONTRACTS FOR NEWSHIPS U.S, PLAN WELL UNDER WAY (Rec. 9 p.m.) NEW YORK, Jan. 19. The Administration’s plans for a vastly expanded shipbuilding programme of 8,000,000 tons of new construction in 1942 and 10,000,000 tons in 1943 are now well under way, says The Journal of Commerce. New contracts for 632 additional ships will cost one billion dollars. American shipyards will launch 1900 ships in the next two years, which is the greatest shipbuilding effort in history. The ships are mostly of two types. One, designed primarily as a cargo vessel, has now been modified for troop transport and the other is a ship of 22,000 tons and about 600 feet in length. This can also be used as a troop carrier and later will be easily convertible into a passenger ship. Shipyards, in future, will work 24 hours daily and seven days weekly, with staggered shifts making possible one day’s rest weekly for each worker. The workers will receive overtime rates for all hours worked above 40 weekly.