The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-17
SHIPBUILDING RACE
GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE CON-
 CERN IN CONTEST.
Makers of Louisiana at Newport News Rut Few Points Behind Entire Government Force at Brook
 Iyn Navy Yard.
Advertiser Bureau. 5O1 fourteenth Street, N. w.. nIrn Ill La oeAnn hnn 1

WaSn1nRIOn. Aug. ID. Everybody nearly by now knows about the construction race between inc Government and private builders on the two big battleships. Louisiana
 ing ing completion and 1t looks as though the Government will win This VIII
 be taken on the face of 1t to mean that
 warships can be built to better advah. nrfvate concerns. Yet even if this be done in this case, there will have to come in some material deductions and allowances, and nothing short or an official report will tend to satisfy the two factions in the navy and in Con gress which are divided on whether the Government or private contrac'ors
 It may be recalled that the Fifty seventh Congress authorized the con struction of two battleships of exactly the same size, pattern and type. in short. to be twin sister ships, and for
 the purpose of settling the mooted question whether the Government or a private plant was. best for the work.
 The Secretary of the Navy decided that the Connecticut should be built at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. while the contract was awarded to the Newport News ship Building Company. The construction of the two vessels was begun at the same time. The Brooklyn yard was Tor A time handicapped on account of lack of equipment and this drawback was discounted by unforeseen difficulties which the private plant had to meet. construction Vas proceeded apace. ex- citing the lIveliest kind of interest In naval circles.
 ana. building by the Newport News Company, was In the lead. but this was gradually reduced, the Connecticut, un- der the direction of Government con overtaking the Louisiana and establish ing a clear lead over her of about'1 per cent busy and put in some strenuous iicks. again taking the lead. At the end of June. the Louisiana was SO.7e per cent: cent. On this 1st of August the Con- necticut was S3.61 and the Louisiana S2Sl per cent. finished: @
 It should be said Tor the NewpGr gle handed against the entire resources of the great Navy Department concen-
 trating its energies and constructive
 genius on the building of one ship. while the Newport News company has the building of three battleships now
 on it's hands, not to speak of number he Government on contract time. An other drawback of speed In the con structioR by the private firm Is that IL has to undergo throughout a. system Of Goyernment Inspection while the Con- nectfcut Is embarrassed in no such way Speaking of this phase of the sltua-
 tion, Mir. W. A, Post. p, supe,rlnttsn5oeiie tt5I It of the company's plant, said Whlie III Washington today:
 There is a vast difference in build ing a ship that must be inspected at
 every whip stitch and one that Is nc not t SO inspected. It gives us annoying
 waits, from which, if we could be re- iieved, we would make decidedly better 1 progress. If we come out even, we l woui ddo exceedingly well. But l doubt i not that when the whole thing Is ana | iyzed, we will be shown to have come ! out considerably ahead as to what we have accomplished in working time. All