The Winner

U.S. merchant shipbuilders had good reason to feel proud last week--they were the one U.S. industry to reach the 1942 production goals set up by President Roosevelt right after Pearl Harbor. Aircraft production fell short by 12,000 planes or 20%. Tank and anti-aircraft gun programs were both revised by Washington and neither reached the original goals. But the shipbuilders splashed through with 746 ships totaling 8,090,800 tons, 90,800 tons over the President's quota.

For this record U.S. shipbuilders can thank a terrific last-month production drive, plus plenty of ingenuity and management-labor cooperation throughout the year. In December alone U.S. shipyards shattered all world records by delivering 1,999,300 tons of sturdy ships, almost double production in all 1941 and 36% of the peak year in World War I.

This is good but shipbuilders must do still better; the 1943 merchant ship goal is a 100% boost to 16,000,000 tons--less than the rate of production in hectic December but almost equal to Britain's entire merchant marine at War's beginning. Even so, most shipbuilders are sure they will make the goal with ships to spare. The means: 1) more prefabrication, 2) perfection of the assembly-line technique, 3) more welding and less riveting, 4) increased standardization of parts, gears and fittings. The chief danger now is shortage of materials.

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