Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-07-18
ARM0R PLATE, THE NEW YORK SUN THIHKs CONTRACTORS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO ROB THE
 GOVERNMENT.
What Uncle Dana, Editorially Says of the Governments Proposition to blake Its
 Own Armor.

The rejection by the Senate of the proposition to allow maximum of $425 per ton for the armor of the battleships Illinois, Alabama and Wisconsin, threatens long delay ia building these vessels.
 The price of $30O per ton which the Senate has substituted is pre- posterous, and it is certain that if it is adhered to, through tie con currence of the House, the Govern meht will have to build an armor plant of it's own. Indeed, the Navy Department is authorized, by the oenatc's vote, to obtain proposals for establishing such plant, and to report thereon at the next session of Congress. Under that action there would be a further delay, doubtless, of at least six months, be- fore beginning to build the plant. The smallest limit of time estimated for completing an armor plant is year, and after that would come the times required for manufacturing the armor. Meanwhile heavy pen alties would be inearred by the Gov ernment for delaying the builders of the huIls, who are under their con tracts, to install the plates.
 Assuming that the navy Depart menf would at once procure some modification Of the original contract so as 10 lessen the prospective losses oftbe builders and the governments liability for damages, yet even with this forewarning and revision, there would, no doubt, be large penalties. The Government would also have 10 pay for it's new plant. Although it would save the cost of the ground, and it's own salaried officers could furnishing the planning and the su- provisions, yet the lowest estimate, we think, of the cost of such a plant has been about $1, 300, 000, and then comes the expense of maintenance. At best, with everything working perfectly, within the limits of cost hoped for, these three ships would certainly be delayed for years be- Yond the time now stipulated for their completion.
 On the other hand, the price Of s425 ton, said to be the lowest which the Bethlehem and Carnegie companies will accept, is a vast re- duction from anything hitherto paid by us for armor. Secretary Herbert caused 3 very elaborate in- vestigation to be made last year, by experts, of the cos. of manufacture ing armor. and he concluded that the Government ought to be willing to pay s400 a ton for it. These com panies had built plants costing far mere than a new plant would cost the Government. They had to fur nish the ground and the skilled su- pervision, and gthey had to go through expensive experiments in Q then untried industry. They still live along from session to session of Congress, never knowing whether their plant is to be open or shut, in the near future. Indeed, the last session ordered no new battleships or vessels requiring armor. Gov ernments are the only customers of the companies in this part of their business, and while they have done some creditable work for European navies, it has been under the hard terms exacted by high wages for la bor here and by the three thousand miles of ocean freight for their pro- ducts. Our own Government must of necessity be their chief buyer, or the armor plant will close.
 It was found that in one item the first calculation of Secretary Her bert was less favorable to the com paules than it should have beer;and in short, on reconsidering the mat ter, Secretary Long has recon mended maximum of s425, which, it is understood, the two companies W a.aep' | tho last Congress tas 2 M 7. taS ss,s ta