Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-08-22
THE TRUST.
NATION AT MERCY OF ARMOR
PLATE TRUST.
DICTATE THE PRICES
High Prices Demanded Of Uncle
Sam For Material For His
Warships.

Washington, d. C.-(Special. )-The
by the throat. and Secretary of the
Navy Long will be called upon in the
course of a month or six weeks to de-
eide whether he will continue to allow
the government to be bled by it or to
carry out the will of congress and be-
gin the erection of government armor
plate factory. The decision will be
forced upon Secretary Long by the
armor plate trust itself, which is COM
posed of the Carnegie and Bethlehem
Steel companies. and who have a mo-
nopoly of the manufacture of Krupp
armor plate, the kind now placed on all
the large war vessels.
A decision on the question Of feeding
or not feeding the trusts by Secretary
Long has kindly been postponed by
other officials of the department, who,
today, in the absence of Mr. Long. de-
cided to reject the bids opened yester-
day for armor plate aggregating $1,000
tons. intended for the war vessels now
| building, and authorized by the last
and preceding congresses.
BIDS ARE INDENTICAL.
The fact tnat the Carnegie and Beth
| lehem companies had entered into COL
| lusion to keep its hands in the gov
ernment purse and force it to continue
| to pay its price or get no armor was
shown by their both offering to take
| the contract at the same price for each
class of armor required, and a prOviSo
| in each that no contract for less than
| 500 tons, just half the total require
ment of the government, enough for
| each, would be made.
| The prices for which the trust COM
panies offered to make the armor was
| S445 per ton plus $45 royalty, making
| the price to the government $500 ton.
They offered to furnish Harveyized ar
! NOR at s400 a ton, plus s11.20 royalty.
| making the cost to the government
\ s411 20: nickeled armor at s400 a ton
| fiat and Krupp bolts at s40o a ton.
I The only competitive bid was pre-
| sented by the Midvale Steel company.
4 which offered to furnish armor at $43s
ton which would stand the test i'm
posed upon armor made by the Krupp
process This company, however. will
] be unable to furnish any armor for
more than two years.
| 1t is said that the department will
modify it's specifica tions in such a way
| that it will accede to the demands Of
the trust as to the 4,200 tons of armor
required Immediately, but so that it
can take advantage of the Midvale
companys offer to supply armor at $43s
ton two years or more hence.
| BIDS ARE EXORBITANT. ~
| Even this price is exorbitant. accord
ing to Senator Chandler. a rampant re-
publican, who is recognized expert on
the cost of producing armor plate. The
senator maintains that 5000 is a faii
price.
The last naval appropriation bill con-
tains provision which was bitterly
contested by Senators Chandler, Till
man and others, empowering the secre-
tary Of the navy to enter into con.
tracts for armor at price which he
may deem reasonable, but that if he
cannot secure armor at reasonable
figure he shall enter into a contract
for the construction of an armor pla te
factory at a cost not exceeding $4,000
600. The democrats wanted all pur-
chases from the trust stopped and the
erection of an armor plate factory be-
gun Immediately. The proposals which
will be called for on Monday will be
opened within month or six weeks
and then Secretary Long will have te
decide whether he shall continue te
pay the prices demanded by the trust
or erect a government factory.
ADMINISTRATIONS FAVORS TRUST.
Senator Hanna made one of the few
lspeeches of his senatorial career wher
the debate on the armor plate section
of the bill was under discussion. He
stoutly championed the cause of the
plate trust. and when the time comes
to decide the question of what is q
| fair price for armor this powerful
influence with the administration vii
undoubtedly be eXerted in an effort tC
prove that whatever the trust may de
mand in its next bid is a fair price
the armor required.
The armor plate trust was libera
contributor to the republican campaign
fund in 1896. and il was charged or
the floor of the senate that Mr.. Hanna
expected to receive another donation
of even greater proportions this sum
mer. contingent, however. upon tn.
trust getting another large contract
Democrats here say that Hanna vii
see that the trust gets the contract