The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-03
DELAYS IN SHIPBUILDING
Contractors for Small Naval YES
sells Want More Time.

/ Manufacturers of Nickel steel ForG-
iuEs Cause TruubIc-Fhc Navy De
! partment IN a Quandary-Con-
| grcss Nay Re asked to Act.
/ The opponents of liberal appropriations
/ for the navy are likely to have powerful
weapon during the next session Of Con
J gross in the delays that have ensUcd in
/ the construction of torpedo boats and de
/ stroyers- Of rh:rJy-o1c vessels of these
/ two types authorized three years ago.
! only few have been completed. although
/ the contracts called for their delivery to
! the Government within eighteen months
/ for the destroyeTs and twelve months for
/ the torpedo boats
/ Through the Ienieut policy pursued by
/ the Navy Department liberal extensions
/ OF the contract time have been granted.
/ until the period Of completion has been
/ carried over more than year beyond the
/ dates set for the deliveries in the original
! contracts. and now some Of the ship
/ building firms have again come forward
! with requests that there be still further
! extensions OF from two TO six months
/ 1t is difficult 10 place the responsibility
/ for this condition of affairs. but even if
/ that were accurately determined it would
! probably increase the force of the argu-
mcnts which the opponents Of naval in
crease would bring TO bear in the Senate
and the House when the next Naval bin
: Is under consideration The fact remains
I that little vessels which could be com
/ pleted in Q year-and this is 4 liberal al
lOwance OF tine-are now IN the third
| year of their construction When it IS
/ said that a battieship can he completed
! in three years, the force OF the c0mpari-
! son is obvious.
( The agUment that the shipyards of the
/ country had already as many big naval
J vessels as they could conveniently build
J for several years was strong enough to
/ cause Congress at its last session to re-
! fuse to appropriate for any more battle
( ships and armCred cruisers COntenting it
/ self with directing the Navy. Department
! TO prepare plans for some armorcIads to
J be submitted 10 the House when they
/ meet again in December And there was
I no promise held out in the clause direct
/ ing the department 10 do this that the
. plans would be adopted and the vessels
Z authorized. II is evident that the men
/ VIVA were chiefly instrumental in prevent
/ ing actual naval increase at the session
/ that ended last March viii not fail to OBJ
/ tam the additional advantage afforded by
/ thesloTingof deiayon torpedocraft. Their
/ contentious that the sFiDFuild=rs wiz
/ have their hands fun constructing tho
/ powerful armCred ships already author
/ lied viii. apparently. give force to the
assertion backed By official information.
I Ihat SnlpouIders require three years 20
! construct torpedo boats and destrovers
( the smallest types OF naval vessels
/ The thiTty-ore torpedo boats and des-
/ troEers were authorized by Congress in
/ May 1895. II September and October Of
/ that year the contracts were awarded.
} and in each case they required the com
I pleuion of the vessel II September or Cc-
I tobsr lsS9- When the contract period *
PRED. most Of the contractors asked for
an extension, claiming that, owing to the
I great boom in the steel trade. manufac-
turers Of steel forgines had more work
than they could do and were unable to
f. furnish in time the material required for
! the vessels under construction. The de-
! paUtmeut accepted this explanation and
granted the requests for extensions max
ing the additional time one year. the
. greatest increase asked In order 10 b.
. perfectly fair, the department EXTENDED
! the contract period 70 torpedo boats and
. destroyeTs whose builders had not asked
. for that privilege Later. there was an
/ other increase for the reason stated in
. the first instance. and now an additional
: extension Of the contract period Is asked
7 by soma Of the contractors.
While, heretofore the department I'd
/ its advisory committee, the Board on Cen
! strucJi0n- have accepted in good faith the
F explanations made for the inability O. the
I tOrpedO-craft builders 10 complete con
tracts within the specified period. recent
( Information has given rise to the suspi-
/ CioG that the prevailing prosperity in the
J steel trade has not been wholly response
/ bic for the failure to construct the yes
! sells on time It should not be understood
. tEaI any bad faith on the part Of the
/ Sh1pbuildeTS is implied by this. On the
I contrary there is every reason 10 believe
( that they have been the victims OF cir
. CumStauceS which they and the depart
: ment are poweTleSS TO overcome, and for
which the remedy lies with Congress
+ alone With the requests just made for
further extension Of the contract periods
3 some Of the contractors have submitted
explanations Of their failure to obtain
I steel materials which indicate that the
! SJeelmakeTS are Indifferent to the
+ peated demands that the deliveries be
made 4 few firms only are able to make
+ the nIckei-SUeeI shaft tOTgIDgS and other
. nickel-steel material required by the
. specifications and the torpedo vessel
[ builders are dependent upon these firms.
I That they have the tine to do this work
and within the period Of their contracts
and the contracts OF the torpedo boat
+ builders is evidently believed by some Of
/ the latter. Why, IN these circumstances.
4 the StceImakers have not fulfilled their
( obligations is not definitely known. The
/ periods within which they contracted 10
make deliveries have expired, in most
cases many months ago, but the build
/ ers Of the torpedo boats have, they say.
+ been unable 10 obtain satisfactory eXUla-
nations for the delays, PROFESSIONALLY
the ShipbUudeTs are in q position 10 OBJ
/ tain pecuuIaTy redress for the EDI-fulIill-
meut of contracts but they are evidently
Chary Of taking action and II has been