The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-16
How q c y, I The J, I ines ispatch.

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s The Armor Plate Contracts.
Secretary Bonaparte has solved the sit
IA uation growing out OF the armor plate
81 contracts IN a way which will DO highly
II sutisfa Glory TO at least one Of the COM
petttors. The combination Of tho Carne-
II lie ana Bethlehem Companies, known rs
a the Armor Plate Trust. bid for these
B| contracts. ~ So did the Independent Mid
NJ vale Steel Company. When the bids were
n opened II was found that the Independent
u company had greatly underbid the trust,
" and tho natural presumption was that
~. the lowest bidder was to got the work
We were then treated to the spectacle OF
IN the trust on Its: knees, loudly offering to
sscut Its bid to meet that OF the Midyaie,9
and urging all sorts OF moro or less
sentimental reasons why 1t should get
share OF the contract. The arguments
& appealed to Secretary Bonnp arte; he did
"A az he was asked to do; and the Mid
vale Is to sbpply only half the plate for
the new battleships South Carolina and:
Michigan. Elm # 95$3335 l 3
ha n n
jls only what was fair and right, but ~ Is
8s difficult to escape the ncluslon that
a,e has done q great Injustice to the Mid
vale Steel Company. # 1t 4 was the high
n prices extorted by the trust that origin
II ally tempted this company to equip itself
TO- compete. In year or two st has res.
duced the price OF armor plate como 500
NJ ton. In the present Instance Il has et-l
fected a saving for the government Of
some $3.50, 600 In short, 1t has cfroum-f
S locuted trust and smashed up nd
nopoly. This Sis a service which might
e reasonably expect to be rewarded. Tie
Il independent company has looked, how
IL ever, for no other reward than fair pray
4 OH the part Of its only customer, the Unit
Led States government 5iis s5sSs5
Il Has 1t got IL? The ordinary rules or
y business provide that contracts so to-
~ the lowest + bidder, unless there is some
" Aid reason to the cont rary. ~ year! go
the Mldya1p underbld the trust on a SIM SIM
ilnr contract, and vas awarded only one-8
4 third OF It. It was alleged that the
IL company was not equipped to turn out
al the work In the specified time. This year
4 tho Midvale again underbid, and the con-
y traot-splitting was repea ted. New argu-8
d n,ents appeared The trust Companies
would have TO shut down unless thoy got
II part OF 1t; their expert workers would
Il bes thrown out OF work and become scat
Il tered to NIL parts OF the country; their
plants would have to be> .dismantled. AS
y for the second OF these arguments, It may
y DO suggested that the skilled workers
4 would possibly have been "scattored" no
4 further than to the A1idyale Steel Cons
Il pany, who, would doubtless hnvo had
need Of then. tf they had received all the
I work they were entitled TO expect. The
third allegation may be dismissed as in--&
Il consistent with the facts. AZ for the
4 plea that the combination plants might
8 have had to shut down, rnuny disinterest-E
i cd persons would probably agree that
Il this would be distinctly q good thing. The
y spectacle Of q great trust factory left
N to Kick Its heels In idleness because an
4 Independent concern had flched away its
trade on the honest price basis, would
7 NJ ha1 oo In tim a q
The argument that seems to have been
4 conclusive with Secretary Bonaparte,
Z however. was tho !nsinuation that the
Mldvale Company had put In an unproiit-
Y ably low bid with a viaw to forcing Its
II rivals out OF business nnd creating Its
own monopoly which would have the
government at Its mercy. This reasoning
4 Goes not appeal to Tho Times-D ispatcb''
Ii ns especially convincing. Having SO re-
Il gently performed the feat itself, tho Mid
4, yale Company Is no doubt perfectly aware
4 that an ar,nor-plate monopoly can BIO
\ broken UP without Overwhelming distlcul-
4 ties, Nor does there appear any serious
\ probability that the trust might DO per-
mansntly put out OF business.
To lot the high bidders reduce their
4 Offers to meet the low ones Is simply
TO deprive the latter OF the fruits OF
their own sagac!ty. courage and enter
prise. IT Is q bad precedent for the
a government TO establish, II the cases IN
this instance had been reversed. there Is
the very smallest likelihood that q sim
Il liar interference would have taken place
or behalf Of tho independent company.
S5a8iBE ---------T---- #&Aia-5. ig
Confederate Records.