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Director of Shipbuilding Program Tells Steel Manufacturers the Part They Must Play in Furnishing Material for New Ships By Charles M. Schwab ONIGHT I face you with a | heart so full of responsibilities and cares, and a heart so bur- dened with the thought that my friends in the iron and steel trade for so many years have placed a confi- dence in me that I must not disap- point; with a heart so full of emo- tion at the universal approbation and approval of what the President has seen fit to do, that I must, of neces- - sity, speak tonight as the heart. dic- tates and not in a tone of levity, but in a tone of peculiar responsibility of the situation which the United States and all of its people finds itself. I am not vain enough to believe, nor is any man worthy of the name vain enough to believe, that any one individual can be a very great fac- tor in any enterprise of such magni- tude as the shipbuilding program. What is required is the united effort of everybody, and this undertaking is so vast and it is so important, that fo man or no group of men can be successful without the encouragement, help and approval of every man, woman and child in this great United States of ours. Work Had Been Well Done I want to take this occasion, also, to say something more. Many peo- ple unacquainted with affairs at Washington are prone to criticise that which has been done. Person- ally, I don’t mind saying that I felt as many others did, that matters in this direction had not gone well. I would not be fair to myself, nor would I be fair to you or the people, if I did not take this occasion to say that in my opinion the work done in Washington by Mr. Hurley, Mr. Piez, General Goethals and the people who have been at this job has been mag- nificent. It has been, difficult for peo- ple to appreciate, but let me tell you this story of ships. Building a New Plant When this war started every great yard in the United States capable of producing ships was taken up by the navy—practically all of the yards— and therefore the yards to produce ships for the Emergency Fleet had to be created. Now, you, as _ practical men, know what it means to create a new works, to organize that new works and to make it quickly effi- cient. I have already examined about 65 or 70 per cent of the ship-pro- ducing capacity in the United States, and I am obliged. to say that the work has been magnificently and eff- ciently accomplisHed. Real credit must be given to the men who have done that work. Do not let us enter into this job with a spirit of criticism; let us enter into it with a spirit of approval and encouragement and results are bound to come. I myself, since being engaged in this undertaking feel such a-tumult of patriotism within my own breast, such a feeling of en- thusiasm, such a desire to work and do something worth while, that if I can but only impart some part of the feeling in my own bosom to _ those associated with me in the yards, I feel, gentlemen, that I will have accomplished .my task and merited your approval. Secondly, and more important: I am not a believer in the fact that we at Washington cut very much of a figure in this great undertaking. Af- ter all the men who will have the real responsibility of this great un- dertaking are the men in _ direct charge of the shipbuilding yards and the accessories for the ships. We in Washington can do little more than encourage the work and grease the wheels of progress; the real respon- sibility rests with those who have undertaken the work at their vari- ous plants and shops and yards. And there again the task and responsibil- ity rest not alone with the manage- ment, but with the foremen, the su- perintendents, the sub-foremen, the head workman, yea, with the work- men themselves; and as a unit only, and by giving proper credit to all and proper encouragement, the result will be accomplished. Program Will Be Carried Out Now, gentlemen, don’t think we are not accomplishing anything, because we: are.. Napoleon said: “Let me win my first battle and my campaign is won.” We have started on this shipbuilding program during the past six weeks or two months with a wave of enthusiasm and confidence, and we have started at a. pace that cannot be stopped, and with your ap- proval, appreciation and encourage- ment, will go on to a successful issue. We can and will build the ships. HARLES M.:’ SCHWAB, director general of the a year for. your service to the government?’ When Emergency Fleet corporation and in active charge of the work of speeding up ship construction, delivered an address of May 31 under circumstances which few men are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to enjoy. The occasion was the meeting of the American Iron and Steel institute. Judge E. H. Gary, chairman of the United States Steel Corp., and J. Leonard Replogle, steel director, had just spoken in terms of the highest appreciation of Mr. Schwab’s work. “His appointment,” said Mr. Replogle, “is an epoch of this war. i a development which has tremendously pleased our allies. Mr..Schwab has the most dominant personality of any man I know.” In a lighter vein, Mr. Replogle pointed out. that “I am especially pleased to voice my appreciation of him in view of the tribute he recently paid me. Mr. Schwab said, ‘Replogle, is it true you are getting $1 Tt. 18. bo bo I replied in the affirmative he said ‘You are worth twice that much.’” As Mr. Schwab rose to speak the 1200 leaders of the country’s great steel industry gave him an _ ovation which: revealed not only their appreciation of his work but their deep affection. for the’ man himself. | Mr. Schwab spoke impromptu. He was visibly af- fected by the cordiality of his greeting. His address is the more valuable since he spoke with a full appre- ciation not only of the problems of the steel manu- facturers in meeting the government’s huge requirements but also from the ‘fullness of his knowledge of the imperative necessity of advancing ship construction. His address as presented herewith will be found of interest as expressing the thought of a man who ‘is one of the country’s largest shipbuilders, one of its greatest steel producers, and now one of its most important government officials.