Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-05-30
Entered at the Newport News, Va.
Postoffice az second-class matter.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1906.
"a CONTEST AND ITS LESSON.

q = wv 80 SN'No ~ SoooIN.
Commenting upon an Interesting
contest which has been brought to 81
close recently. tile esteemed Rich
mond News Leader, makes the fol-
lowing observations:
"The Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Company has won out
against the Brooklyn navy yard both
as to the time aud chcapness of war.
slip construction. The race. or com
petition, was in the building OF the
Louisiana by the former and the Con
recticut at the latter The keel of
the Louisiana was laid Feb. z, 1903,
and the final delivery Of the great
fighting machine to the government
will be made tomorrow. The actual
time OF construction has been three
years, three months and twenty-five
days. and the cost of the ship 49,
$4,000. The keel of the Connecticut
was laid just thirty days later, it
Will he some months yet before she
Is finished. already tn" total appro
priation for her, si,ll20nO, has been
absorbed and the department like
Oliver Twist is calling for more for
$3S0.000 more.
'"Ihe department, II is understood.
claims, however. that The navy yard
VIII even up in the long run because
the Connecticut will prove cheaper
than the sister ship owing to the nsc
In her of better material and the
works neccssiating less repair. But
that remains to he seen. There is
no reason to believe that the Newport
News people do not put into the bat
tleships they build the best mat ,ial
that can be obtained, especially as
what they use is rightly inspected by
government experts. and there IS cv-
cry reason to believe that the me-
chantcs and laborers they employ az
as skilled and experienced and faith
full IN discharge of their 'iutics as
those employed at the government
navy yards We reckon that when
the whole proposition is simmcrel
down il will he found tina: there is
very little difference. If any. in the
materials used in the two ships. and
that the victory of The Newport News
Company is attributable 10 its better
equipment and to better organization,
from both the standpoin OF business
methods and The systematic working
together Of its employees.
While The !;co! nf the louisiana was
laid month ahead of the Connect.
cut, the Brooklyn navy yard had sew
eral months The start of the local yard
In ordering and assembling material
for the sister ship of the huge fight.
er just turned over TO the government
by the Newport News builders. rh.
talk about better material in the Con
necticut is tommy.rot pure and simple
and no one Is better acquainted with
that TACT than those members of the
navy department who claim that n
ground for the discrepancy in cost is
round in that item. There has never
Deen complaint concerning the naval
vessels built at the local shipyar,l
ana some of them have made record
breaking runs after having been in
commission five or six years. They
certainly have held their own in com.
petition with the Texas and other
government built ships. There is no
4 reason 10 believe that the Louisiana
is worse than the average ship built
mere, or that the Connecticut is better
than The average ship built in the
governments navy yard.
The private yard had no unfair adj.
vantage In the contest. which conclus.
iyely proved that something like hall
h million dollars may be saved by the
government in constructing each OF
its great battleships by private con.
tract. ~