The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-09-17
A WARSHIP TRUST.
How Uucle Sam is SwindIed in Navy
Contracts, and Why he Cannot Help

How Uucle Sam is Swindled in Navy
Contracts, and Why he Cannot Help
1t.
The bids for the construction of five
new cruisers were opened recently and
the result will be decided surprise to
the country. After all the prophecies OF
its representatives, the Union Iron
Works put in no bid at all. Out OF
twelve establishments that had figured
on the work only two decided to bid.
The Bath Iron Works of Bath, Me-,
offered to build the three 2,OOO-ton YES
sells at $780,000 apiece, or $4,000 over
the legal price, and William Cramp &
Sons proposed to charge 1915, 900 each
for those ships, and 81 ,225 900 each, or
$125, 1000 over the limit, for the cruisers
of 5000 tons.
The game in this affair is little too
obvious. The signs of collision stick
out all over the whole proceeding. We
are plainly in the presence of ship
building trust, of which the Bath Iron
Works and William Cramp & Sons are
the representatives. The Government
is to be cinched to the last inch. The
Cramps bid $95, 900 higher than their
ostenslble competitors on each of the
2,000-ton vessels, and the Bath people
reciprocated by retaining from bidding
at all on the others. Then Congress is
to be informed that the ships cannot be
built within the legal limit, and the ap-
preparation is to be increased, as was
done before in the case of the Newark.
TO show how outrageous the proposed
extortion of the trust would be, let us
make few comparisons The York
town is nominally ZOO tons, but on her
recent trial trip she displaced 1000.
Her contract speed was sixteen knots,
but she has exceeded seventeen. Her
price is $455 900. Congress has allowed
100000 apiece for the new 2,000-ton
cruiser of eighteen knots. That is to
say, for vessels slightly larger than the
Yorktown, and one knot or possibly two
knots greater speed, it allowed $245, 900
in excess of the Yorktown's price. Not
satisfied with this the Bath people want
$4,000 more yet, and the Cramps pro-
pose almost exactly to double the cost of
the Yorktown.
The Boston displaces $3.50 tons, and
she has reached a speed of sixteen
and one-half knots. She cost 1907 900.
For the new 3,000-ton cruisers of nine
teen knots Congress allowed 81 100000
each. In other words it was willing to
pay nearly half million dollars for two
knots and half more speed than the
Boston develops. But that is not enough
to safe the modest appetite of the
Cramps. They want 81 ,225, 900 each, or
more than twice the cost of the Boston
"a ship that has just proved her quality
by escaping destruction after her officers
had banged her on a rock.
Secretary Tracy is beginning his term
now, and if he wishes to succeed in the
work of rebuilding the navy he will put
his foot down at once. The country
wants new cruisers, but it is not in the
humor to be bled by shipbuilding trust.
If there are no private firms in the coun-
try that wish to have hand in recon
structing the fleet, we still have few
navy yards. Mare Island is anxious for
a chance to do its share, and with a few
improvements in equipments could do it
well. If necessary every navy yard in
the country could be fitted up for the
construction of steel ships, to render the
government independent of extortion.
But it is a pity that San Francisco
should lose her part in the work. Now
that the Union Iron Works has decided
to leave the new navy to the Cramps
and the Gentle tribes of Bath, there are
no other local establishments that could
put in bid.