The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-25
FORMER CONFEDERATES'
CLAIMS ALLOWED
Chance for them to Collect from the Government
WASHINGTON News and Notes.

the loss of 100000 on the torpedo boat
destroyers Hull and Hopkins, has made
the total loss on the three vessels built
for the navy more than $500000. 1t
is represented that the Harlan and
Hollingsworth Company has had such
a disastrous experience in handling
contracts for the Navy Department
that it will undertake no more work
of this character
1t appears that the Stringham is
overweighted by about sixty tons and
lacks sufficient power. In this con-
nectlon 1t is represented that there was
considerable interference with the
builders on the part of the govern
ment inspectors, one of the naval con-
structors, for instance insisting upon
ten tons of cement being put in the
bottom of her coal bunkers. When the
vessel was turned over to the Navy
Department it was with the under
standing that the contractors washed
their hands of the contract and it was
left to the Navy Department to deter
mine how much it was damaged by
the difference between the required
speed of 80 knots, and that speed
which the Stringham is capable of de-
Veloping and on this difference the
Navy Department will probably bring
suit. AS an offset to the claim of the
Navy Department the contractors will
probably have a bill to relieve them
from responsibility in the matter The
company is very grateful to- Senator
Alice for the active interest he has
taken in the matter, and it is, proba-
Bile that his services will be further
called into requisiton in behalf of this
concern, which is one of the largest
institutions in his state.
For Eight Hours a DAY,
For the past eight years the leading
labor organizations have been engaged
IN an attempt to secure the passage
CT a bill limiting work on all govern
ment contracts to eight hours in any
one calendar day. There is every rea-
son to believe that these efforts will be
| successful at the coming regular SEES
sion of the present Congress. The
prospective success of the efforts of
the labor unions is largely due to the
TACT that the shipbui1ders and those
manufacturers of armor plate, engines,
boilers, propeller shafts and other COM
ponent parts of war vessels, will not
take an active part this session in OPP
losing the bill. The proposed measure
Will, of course, affect all contractors
doing work for the government, but its
operations will most seriously affect
the contractors mentioned. and hereto
| ACAC NhCZ nave VIGOROUSLY IOuSnL TIE
eight-hour bill. For obvious reasons
however, the shipbuilders and other
contractors representing allied interes Is
are not in a position to make such a
| SIGHT at the coming session as that they
| carried on during the last Congress
1t is probable that the National Asso-
| citation of Manufacturers will oppose
| the bill, but the labor leaders believe
| that opposition from this source will
be beneficial to the bill. D. M. Parry
| of Indianapolis, is president of this as
sOciation, and his radical views have
made him such an object of bitter ha-
tired to the labor unions, that it, is be-
| lieved by the union leaders. that the
members of Congress will be afraid to
favor him, and his association in oppo-
sition to the labor element. 1t is pro-
posed TO force this measure to a finish
in both the Senate and House before
the coming presidential election.
Representative Su1zer has introduced
an eight-hour bill in the House, ans
the Senate Committee on Education
and Labor has introduced one in the
Senate. In the hope of regaining con-
troll of Maryland through conciliating
the labor vote, Senator McComas will
press his bill to a speedy passage. Rep
resentative Gardner of New Jersey
chairman of the House Committee on
Labor, win introduce an eight-hour bill
as soon as the Committee of Labor is
appointed, and it is understood his bill
will be reported from the committee.
-S<S