The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-12-31
TO TEST A THEORY
GOVERNMENT TO BUILD A WAR
SHIPS ON ITS OWN ACCOUNT.
Eight-Hou System on Trial-Exactly
Similar Ship to be Built by Con-
tract-Labor Contends That g.
Hour System Of Government
will Prove Economical.
Washington Special.

race that has ever taken pldCe oet"SOii
the government of the United states ana
a priv~a contractor will be inaugurated
and to a very large extent the future his
tory of the shipbuilding industry of the
United States depends upon the outcome.
Consequently both sides are straining ev-
cry nerve and each Is seeking to Guido
the other.
The contest referred to Is that between
the Navy Department which has UNDER
taken to construct In the Brooklyn
navy yard the giant battleship Conneci-
cut in competition with the Newport
News Shmipbuilding Company. to wnlch
has been given the contract for the ouiio-
ing of the Louisiana. The Connecticut
and Louisiana are sister ships; In every
respect down to the smallest detail OF
their construction-from the massive tur-
rets with their great twelve-inch guns
down through their steel decks to the
smallest screw or rivet which holds IN
place the steel plates which form their
bottoms-they are to be alike In every
particular From ono standpoint 1t Is
merely a contest between the government
and private parties. But in reality 1t IS
a war between capital and labor Capital
declared that the government could not
| construct its ships as rapidly as private
contractors nor as cheaply, owing to the
restrictions which labor has thrown about
| government work. Labor replied that al
though the government yards were han
dicapped by an eight hour system with
fifteen days leave for .neir men, togeth-
er with higher wages, nevertheless. the
| employees Of the government yards could
accomplish more in their eight hours
4 work per diem than an equal number of
men in private ship yards working ten
| hours a day, basing their arguments on
| the ground that eight hours was proper
days work and that men whose hours OF
| labor were limited to eight hours, by
working more willingly and more cheer
fully could accomplish more than equally
| as good workmen required to labor ten
| hours per diem.
| So insistent were the labor leaders that
| the government could construct it's war
ships in its own yards for less money
than 1t was paying private contractors.
that Congress at its last session author
lied the Navy Department to build one
of the battleships provided for in the
last naval appropriation bill in a gov
| eminent navy yard, and allowed the Sec
| rotary of the Navy the sum of $175,0O0 to
| equip the yard for the construction OF
| the vessel. The act further provided that
the Secretary Of the navy should keep
| an accurate account of the cost, inspec-
ton and instruction of vessels provided
| for in this act, whether built in govern
ment yards or by contract, and report
thereon to Congress. at each session, the
progress of work and cost thereof, In
GLIDING the inspection of all materials
| going into the construction of said YES
sells, and, upon the completion thereof
showing the relative cost of the inspec-
| ton and construction in government yards
and bmy contract"
| In pursuance, of this act the Secretary
OF the Navy caused specifications to be
drawn for the Connecticut and Louisiana
and advertised for bids for the construc-
| ton of one of them, the Newport News
Shipbuilding Company securing the con.
tract on a bid Of s., 800, 900, much less than
the limit placed upon the contract price
by Congress Of A,212,00 Forty-two months
was allowed by the Navy Department
for the completion of tn eLouisiana-
| the contractors agreed to complete her
| in forty-one months under a penalty OF
$500 a day for the first month and $500 a
day thereafter until the vessel is COM
| pleted. The terms of the wager were ac-
| cepted and the contest was fairly begun
| when the Secretary of the Navy issued
the necessary orders to place the Brook
| Ign navy yard in condition to construc,
the Connecticut. that yard being selected
as the best equipped of the government
yards for that purpose.
| The government is greatly handicapped
| In Its competition with the private CON
| tractors in the construction of the Con-
nectcut' said prominent official of the
Navy Department today. You know. In
the government navy yards we must op.
| crate strictly under the eight hour rsys.
TEN. Only certain number of men can
be employed in the construction of a YES
sci at any one time, the number varying
| according to the stage of completion. In
outdoor work of this character 1t is Gus
tomary to take advantage of the long
hours Of daylight in the summer to make
! up for the deficiency in that respect du-
| ring the winter. At least, that is the Gus
tom in private shipyards; unfortunately
for us, we are prevented from following
this rule. The law arbitrarily provided
that our workmen cannot be employed
more than eight hours per diem and con-
seQuently we will work only eight hours
a day, where the private yards work ten.
| Under such circumstances it will be al
most an impossibility for us to complete
| the Connecticut within forty-one months,
as the private contractors have agreed to
| do in the case of its sister ship, the Lou
isiana. In addition, we are further hand
| icapped by the fact that each employee OF
the government navy yards is granted fif-
| teen days leave annually with pay
which, of course, must be charged into
| the expenses OF constructing the vessel
and will further tend to delay its com
| pletion."
| Secretary Moody will follow the instruc-
lions of Congress in regard to keeping the
| account OF the cost of material and Ia
| bur entering into the construction of the
Connecticut down to the smallest item
but is determined that no room will be
left for any charge Of extravaganza il
this connection. With the money placed
at his disposal for the equipment of tht
yard he purchased what is known as
Gantry crane, one of those gigantic trav
cling cranes capable OF l6hting hundred.
of tons of which the Cramps shipyard.
and the Newport News Shipbuilding Com
pany possess duplicates which cost then
100000 each. In letting this contract
| Secretary Moody called in Mr.. Brown
the inventor OF the Gantry crane, anC
! substantially gave him carte blanche II
the construction of the crane for the
Brooklyn yard. The remainder OF the ap
preparation of $4,000 has been applied tc
| the purchase of necessary tools which
the yard did not have.
| Within two months the keel Of the Con-
! necticut will be laid down in the Brooklyn
yard and of the 5000 employees of the yards
an average OF 400 will be kept constantly
employed on the vessels until its com
petion. The Newport News Shpbuildine
| Company will start about the same time
| on the Louisiana, on which, II is esti-
mated they will be able to place from
100 to 1000 men at work according to the