The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-16
NAVY DEPARTMENT AND STEEL
COMPANIES REACH AN
AGREEMENT
THU PRICE Will BE $42O A Ton
AND THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND TONS
WILL BE NEEDED FOR
NEW SHIPS
MAKES A MATERIAL SAVING
The Manufacturers Originally
Wanted to Hold UD the
Government for $546
Per Ton.

: WASHINGTON, Nov 15.-Secretary
Long today announced the conclusion Of
the long controversy over the price of
Rrmor plate for naval vessels and an
agreement with the Carnegie and Beth
leEem companies for Krupp armor at
$40 a ton, with the possible addition of
royalty fees, making the maximum price
s455.52 a ton. The amount of armor IN
volved is the largest ever placed at one
time by the government and is said to
equal all the armor purchased by this
government up to 1856. 1t covers the ar
-1nor for seventeen ships now in various
stages of construction, including eight
battleships, six armored cruisers and
three protected cruisers.
The following official statement was
given out concerning the agreement: The
navy has come to an agreement with
the Carnegie and Bethlehem companies
for Krupp armor of the first class
amounting to 24950 tons for 1920 ton.
the Krupp process involves the Harvey
patent, the validity of which is now un-
der consideration by the courts, and 1t is
further agreed that the government will
assume in addition any liability for the
Krupp process not exceeding 95 or $24.32
a ton for Krupp royalty, and not exceed
ing the United States license fee of
S1.2O for Harvey royalty. The maxi
mum price to the government is there
fore $455.52 a ton, subject to diminution
in case Of any reduction in the foregoing
royalties.
The bid of these companies for this
class of armor was $3.50 and the price
originally asked $545.
MIDVALE USED AS A CLUB.
The Midvale company some time ago
withdrew their bid, but they would have
been unable in any event to furnish ar
NOR in due season for the Maine class
Of battleShipS. Had they not withdrawn
their bid it is probable that some ar
rangement might have been made for
the distribution among the three COM
panies of the manufacture of armOr other
than that of the Maine class Their
bid, however, was of value in enabling
The department to secure the above large
Ilduction.
Y Admiral O'Neil, chief Of tn bureau
of ordnance, said of the result: THE
agreement is most satisfactory. The
terms are reduced not only to a reason
able point, but more than reasonable. We
get armOr cheaper than any country in
the world. 1t is due not only to Secre-
'tary Longs able management of the
matter, but also to the fact that the
companies met him in very reasonable
spirit 1t is only just that this should
be understood"
The armor contract covers not only the
24,JoO tons specified in the official state
ment, but also some 10000 tons of ar
NOR of the second and third class,
which not been in controversy, but Las
dependent upon the disposal of the first
class armOr. The entire amount approx
imately $4,000 tons, is now made avail
able.
New specifications have been prepared
by the navy department, showing in de-
tail the tests, times of delivery, etc.
@There is some change in the classical
tion but in the main features the speci-
fications are as they We're when the last
bids were made.