The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-02
SHIP ] BUILDING ID
 BE PUT ID TEST Government Enters Contest With Private Individuals EIGHT-H0UR LAW A FACTOR It ls Claimed That the United States Cannot Construct Ships as Quickly
 as Individuals on Account of
 Short Work Hours.
EIGHT-H0UR LAW A FACTOR
BY PATTERSON sTEALEY.


 Washington. January 1.-(Special)- Within short time the most interesting race that has ever taken place between the government of the United States and a private contractor will be inaugurated and to a very large extent the future his- tory of the ship-building industry of the United States depends upon the out come. Consequently both sides are strain- ing every nerve and each Is seeking to outdo 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 Connecticut in
 competition with the Newport News Shipbuilding company to which has been given the contract for the building of the
 Louisiana. The Connecticut and Louis jana are sister ships; In every respect down to the smallest detail of their con- struction-from the massive turrets with their great twelve inch guns down through their steel plates which form their bottoms-they are to be alike In every particular. From one standpoint it is merely contest between the govern
 ment and private parties.
 Can't Work So Rapidly. ,.es It has been stated that the government could not construct its ships as rapidly as private contractors nor as cheaply, owing to the restrictions which laborng men throw about government work. La- bor replied that although the sovern- ment wards were handicapped by an eight hour system with fifteen days an- nual leave for their men, together with higher wages, nevertheless, the employees | of the government yards could accom- | pllsh more in their eight hours work per | diem than an equal number of men in private ship yards. working ten hours day, passing their arguments on the ground that eight hours was a 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 it's own yards for less money l than 1t was paying private contractors | that congress at It's last session author ized the navy department to build one | of the battleships provided for in the
 last naval appropriation bill in a govern ment navy yard. and allowed the secre- | tary of the navy the sum of $l750O0 to | equip the yard for the construction of | the vessel The act further provided that | the secretary of the navy should keep l an accurate account of the cost of in-
 spection and instruction of vessels provid- | ed for in this act whether built in gov ernment yards or by contract, and report l thereon to congress, at each session, the progress of work and cost thereof includ-
 ing the inspection of all the material go- | ing into the construction of said vessels, | and upon the completion thereof, to re- | port full and detailed statement show | ing the relative cost of the inspection
 and construction in government yards and | by contract"
 Specification Drawn.
 l In pursuance of this act the secretary | of the navy caused specifications to he | drawn for the, Connecticut and the Louis jana, and advertised for bids for the | construction of one of them. the New port News Shipbuilding company secur- | ing the contract on a bid of $3,990,00o
 much less than the limit placed upon the | contract price by congress of $4,212, 600. | For.y-two months were allowed by the navy department for the completion of l the Louisiana-the contractors agreed to | complete her in forty-one months under | a penalty of $300 day for the first month
 and s6oo a day thereafter until the ves- | sel Is completed. The terms of the wager were accepted and the contest was fairly
 begun when the secretary of the navy is- sued the necessary orders to place the
 Brooklyn navy yard in condition 70 con
 struct the Connecticut, that yard being l selected as the best equipped of the gov
 eynment yards for the purpose.
 "The government is greatly handicapped
 in its competition with the private con- | tractors in the construction of the Con- | lxxAA Al navy department today. You know in
 the government navy yards we must op- I crate strictly under the eght-hour sys- | tenn. Only certain number of men can | be employed in the construction of a ves- | sel at any one time, the number varying | according to the stage of completion. In
 outdoor work of this character 1t Is cus-
 tomary to take advantage of the long hours of daylight in the summer to make
 up for the deficiency in that respect dur ! ing the winter. At least that Is the cus- | tom in private ship yards. Unfortunately for us we are prevented from following
 this rule. The law arbitrarily provides | that our workmen cannot be employed
 more than eight hours per diem and con- sequently we will work only eight hours day where the private yards work ten l Under such circumstances 1t 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 | Louisiana. In addition, we are further
 handicapped by the fact that each em- ploye of the government navy yards is | granted fifteen days leave annually with l pay, which, of course, must be charged to the expense of constructing the vessel, and will further tend to delay its comple- | tion."
 Will Follow Instructions.
 l Secretary Moody will follow the in-
 structions of congress in regard to keep | ing the account of the cost of material
 and labor 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 extrava- | gance In this connection. With the money
 placed at his disposal for the equipment
 of the yard he purchased what is known
 as Gentry crane, one of those gigan-
 tic travelling cranes spanning 250 feet
 over two battle ships. the Newport News l Shipbuilding company possess duplicates
 which cost them $1O0,OOO each. In letting | this contract, Secretary Moody called on
 Mir. Brown, the inventor of the Gent.y crane and substantially gase him carte blanche in the construction of the crane | for the Brooklyn yard. The remainde- of
 the appropriation of $175,000 has besn ap- l piled to the construction of the slip to hold the Connecticut and the purchase of
 necessary tools which the yard did not have.
 Within two months the keel of the l Connecticut will be laid d,wn in the Brooklyn yard and of the cd0J employees of the yard an average of ioo will be