Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-04-25
SHIpBuILOING COMBINE.

Report That There is an Understanding
as to bidding on Government Work.
The Philadelphia Press yesterday
printed the following:
The community Of interest" ELAN
has been carried into the bodybuilding
industry, it being announced that the
owners and officials OF a number OF
plants have reached an agreement
which will insure competition being
extensively lessened when bids are
being made for government contracts
The agreement Ia said to affect, in no
particular, the natural seeking for mer
chant work and likewise it does not
mean any combination whatever among
tho sbiEbuildera.
One shipbuilder put it this way yes.
terday; 1.-THE companies have simply
agreed to stand back and abandon Inc
ruinous practice of stabbing prices. "
None of the concerns like the Cramps,
Newport News or Union Iron Works ace
included IN the arrangement. The in
formation in reference to the agree.
ment named many other plants in.
terested, the Harlan q Hollingsworth
and the Pussy Il Jones establishments
ut Wilmington; Roach's, at Chester /;
Dialogues, at Camden; Neafie &
Levy's, in this city; the yards at
Sparrows Point, near Baltimore; the
Elizabethport and several small yslds
on the New England coast
None of the representatives of firms
seem would admit that such combi-
nation has been made, and for Neaiie
d Levy President Matthias Seddenger
absolutely denied that his company Is
or will go into such deal. 1--WE will
rn IA RI 10, L
said, land we have had sufficient ex-
perlenoe, hope, to bid low enough to
get such WORK a. we compete for.
Fortunately, being the low at bidder
counts when the Navy DE, artment ia
awarding the work. Ii is mot so with
some varieties OF contracts. ~
However, among shii ping iuen the
reaching of n tarit understanding
seemed to be generally understood.
One said, 'Some move Of this sort tas
boon contemplated for a long while,
and naturally 1t simply had 10 come,
fer the construction OF vessels for the
government by the smaller concerns
has usually proved anything but
proiitab o.
Formerly these yard let such work
severely alone, an occasional tug or
naval transport or tander being about
all they sought. With the creation OF
a navy came the demand for torpedo
boats AID torpedo boat destro, ers,
light, unprotected cruisers and light
draught gunboats. You will notice
that the big yards let this class of
work severely alone. The smaller ones
struggled for it, got it at price pared
down to the lowest possible limit, and
usually found that they had elephants
on their hands.
hs reason for an understanding is
further evident when probable future
conditions ARC considered. a lmost
every concern expects something in the
way of Legislation to help the merchant
marine, which will mean plenty of
orders for merchant ships. This will
be rush order work at first and natur.
ally the yards want the small govern
ment work, of which there must be a
large amount, in order that they may
Keep their plants going on vessels in
various stages of completion.
- think it hardly likely that any
oihcial sanction will be given TO the re-
port OF the understanding, inasmucb as
IL looks like an agreement to force
higher prices. Relatively il is, but
the builders are determined 10 quit
constructing ships at a good sized
money less
W. d. Dimuck, pri.ate secretary to
IL. L. Cause, president OF the Harlan
y toilingsworth Co., and Clareuce O.
Sutherland, private secretary to Charles
". Pusey, president Of the Pussy Il
Jones Co., said they knew nothing
afont such combination aud as far as
they knew the matter had not been
considered by their comnanias.