The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-01-26
HOLLAND BARRED
New Naval Purchase Bill It
Is Thought Would Ex-
clude the Jersey Inventor
GIVES TOO LITTLE TIME
HOLLANDS LATEST INVENTION
sNUFFs OUT ALL OTHER SUB
MARINES, BUT THE COMPANY
COULD NOT GET ONE READY
BY THE PRESCRIBED DATE.

WASHINGTON, Jan. &C. 19o6-Rep-
fesentatiye Roberts. of Massachusetts,
has introduced in the House a submarine
torpedo boat appropriation bill, the
course of which is being watched with
interest by John p Holland, of Newark,
the well-known submarine craft cop
The measure, which provides for an ap-
preparation of $3,C00,0OO for the pur-
ehase of ten of the underwater boats,
is now in the hands of the House Com
nfittee of Naval Affairs. Mr.. Holland
and his friends. including members of
the John P. Holland Submarine Boat
Company, several of whom are Newark
ers, believe the bill will have the effect
of shutting out of the proposed competi-
tion the Holland boats.
The measure. it is claimed, operates
only in favor of the Electric Boat Com
pany of New Jersey, a rival concern to
the Holland Company, and corporation
that has several suits pending against
Mr.. Holland and his company. The
Electric Company is at present building
submarine boats for the United States.
navy, and a clause in the Roberts bill
provides that any company which wish
es TO submit boats for naval test must
do so within one month from the time
of the contract trials of the submarine
boats now building.
Because of legal entanglements. prin
cipally on the instigation of the Elec-
tric company, the Holland interests say
it will be impossible to finish one of their
boats in time to submit it month after
the trial of the boats now being con-
structed. and thus. they say, the Roberts
bill operates against them.
The only company in which Mr.. Hol-
land now claims to be interested is the
John p Holland Submarine Boat Com
pany, which was formed last June with
Edward +. Duffy and Harrison p. Lind
abury and himself as principal incorpo-
rators. Previous to that Mr.. Holland
had formed the Holland Torpedo Boat
Company, which, after he withdrew from
it, was assigned to the Electric Boat
Company that is now building submarine
boats.
A suit was started by the electric con-
eern against Mr.. Holland personally a
few months ago to compel him to turn
over to them certain patents which. it
was alleged, belonged to the Holland
Torpedo Boat Company. of which the
electric company is the assignee. That
suit is still pending in the Chancery
Court Then the Holland Torpedo Boat
Company, through the assignee, the
Electric Company, started a suit in the
United States District Court against the
John P. Holland Submarine Boat Com
pany, asking for an injunction to compel
the latter concern to cease using the
name HOLLAND in any manner. That
suit IS still pending.
A third suit was started by the Elec-
tric Company against Mr.. Holland last
October. In this suit it is alleged that
by reason of reputed contract which
Mr.. Holland entered into with Adrian
III. R. Won Tromp, former officer of
the Queen of Hollands navy, Mr.. Hol-
land so involved himself by agreements
that he forever debarred himself from
ever attempting to build submarine boats
for any nation on earth. And the bill
in this last suit further alleges that b.t
reason of the so-ealled contract with Won
Tromp, Mr. Holland can enter into com
tracts with no one else in the matter of
torpedo or submarine boats.
Won Tromp some time ago brought suit
against Mr.. Holland for breach of con-
tract, but the action was thrown out of
court, 1t is said. With the last suit
brought against Mr.. Holland by the Elec-
tric company. mass of the correspon-
dence with Won Tromp was published,
and, it is said, the bin and eorrespon-
dence was circulated among members of
the Senate and House.
With matters thus legally tangled, and
with the Holland Submarine Boat Com
pany so meshed Il law as to be unable to
act until some Of the eases are settled,
the Roberts bill was introduced, accord
ing to members of the latest Holland in
corporation.
The Holland bfll, in part, is as follows:
.sThat the Secretary of the Navy shall
purchase or contract for said submarine
boats within four months after the COM
Dletion Of the contract trials of the sub
~. 417a