Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-20
NAVY YARDFURLOUGHS
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT By
CoMMANDANT LEUTzE.
Views Of Member of the Wage Com
mittee Of Columbia Lodge Of
Machinists.

The report that one thousand mechanics
employed at the Washington navy yard are
| to be indefinitely furIonghed about the first
of the year has resulted In considerable
apprehension among the workers at the
naval gun factory. When Capt. Eugene
H. c. Leutze, the commandment of the yard
was seen today by a Star reporter and
asked concerning the report he said the
, statement credited to him that one thou
sand mechanics" out of a force Of two
thousand would be furloughed by the be-
ginning of the new year was incorrect and
misleading.
What 1 did say" the commandany
added was that within the next three
months there would be doubt no about
LOCO of the employees OF the navy yard
out of total. force of 1900 furloughed,
because of the failure OF Congress to ap-
propriate money for the building of new
warships. did not specify that mechan-
les alone would be furloughed. but meant
that all classes Of employees would be in
Guided" s..,..''.. -.-y.,a.,l+.e -
Capt. Leutze also denied the statement
attributed to him that the machinists in
the naval gun factory receive a maximum
OF $500 per diem. What he said was that
the frst-class machinists receive a maxi
mum wage Of S5.36 a day. He Is afraid
that the lack of appropriations by Congress
Will result in seriously Gripping the work
Member of Wage Committee Speaks.
Mr.. Thomas f. Carroll member of the
wage committee of Columbia Lodge of
Machinists, large majority of the mem
bers of which body are employees of the
navy yard, in referring to the statement of
the commandant today, said to a Star re-
porter:N
Capt. Leutze states that 1t will be nee
ba nj loo
because of the failure of Congress to make
appropriations to build war vessels While
this Is true. Congress has at previous ses-
sions made ample appropriations for that
purpose, and for ordnance to keep the navy
yards and gun factory busy for years. had
those who have the authority deemed 1t
wise to have furnished Capt. Leutze and
the gun factory with the orders for such
equipment. There has been given out to
private manufactures in the last two years
a number of contracts for guns and Access
sores at a much higher cost to Uncle Sam
than we produce them for in the Washing
ton navy yard.
Some of this contract product has been
shipped here in the past month. and with
out doubt had 1t been mounted on our war
vessels without our machinists overhauling
it and correcting the many defects there
is no telling how much disaster would
have followed. -.---,-.-
Capt. Leutze further stated that It was
probable the mechanics who migrating
were conscious Of the scarcity Of orders In
the gun factory. 1t does not seem probable
that men trained and as skillful as are
these men would quite their jobs on mere
rumor. unless they were offered moro tu-
crative positions in other cities where the
cost Of living Will permit them to keep
their families In comparative comfort
As to Just Compensation.
1t was added that the law Is always
quoted when the machinists ask for "just
compensation" This law requires the COM
mandant to ascertain the wages in private
establishments in the immediate vicinity
doing a like character of work as Is per-
formed at the Washington navy yard To
this the officer of Columbia Lodge replied:
There are no establishments in this or
any other vicinity whose product requires
the skill and efficiency of workmanship that
press last winter. emphasized the fact, and
declared that we had no equals in the world
In skillfulness and ability. Then why
should our pay be made to conform with
the wages of less skllful mechanics? 1t Is
mainly through this skill and efficiency that
the cost of manufacture at the naval gun
factory has been decreased so that compe-
tition is almost out of the question should
the contractors be confined to our cost fig
ures. In fact. I have 1t stated by those
who should know that in the past three
years the cost OF navy yard ordnance has
been decreased 40 per cent, and with this
knowledge Is 1t any wonder the workmen
are restless and insistent that they by right
and justice should be sharers in this enor-
nous saving to the government? 1t Is
largely because of this increased production
that we are now without sufficient work on
hand to continue the present force. But
fooI hat xryt,0 Ho,x 90