Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-06-05
THE RATTLEsHIP BUILDING
CONTEST.

The esteemed Norfolk Landmark
has discovered "a mares nest" in
connection with the batlleship build.
ing contest recently concluded. and
which resulted In a double triumph
Tor the contract-bliilt ship as com.
pared with that constructed by the
government at It's own shipyard Com,
mentins upon certain remarks which
have appeared in the Newport News
papers concerning the race. our Mar
folk contemporary says:
"No reference is made hy the News
Leader or either of our Newport News
contemporaries (the Press and the
Times Herald 10 the legal handicap
under which the government labnreh
IN having to get along with the eight
honr day, whereas The ten-hour day
prevails in the private yards.
The result of the contest demon
sliaies that the government cannot
build ship as quickly as well
equipped private yard ii the yard has
pnefourth more time in which TO
build. Likewise. il disproves the con
tention that The cight-hour labor day
is saving in money, because IL keeps
the workman IN filter condition. The
average man can do more work In ten
hours than he can In eight.
The only fair test between the
government and the private yards
would be to restrict the private yards
TO eight hours each day 1t Is a
farcical concession to labor for the
government 10 decide on eight-hour
construction work IN its own yards
and then throw all the work to out
side yards maintaining the ten.hour
day"
II At the time the contest began we
believe the announcement was made
that the Brooklyn navy yard would
put into effect the method of paying
by the hour instead of by the day
the system which prevails in most
or the private shipyards--so that there
would he no handicap on account OF
the shorter work-day required by law.
double shift of men if the officers
Qf the navy yard had deemed such a
course necessary. There is no reason
70 believe that the contest was lost
because of failure to push the plant
10 its utmost capacity
Our Norfolk contemporary also
makes much of the fact that the keel
Tor the Connecticut was laid month
later than the keel for the Louisiana
" 1alls 10 note, h 1wever, that the
naval end OF the contest had its con
tract and plans in hand three months
. In advance OF the private builders and
spent all that time laying out the
work and ordering the necessary ma.
terial. Thus it will be seen that in.
stead of a months handicap the navy
yard really had three months start
on the private yard
IT was TO he expected that the
thlckand-thin sfouters for the navy
yards would decline 10 zee any sort of
q demonstration detrimental to their
hobby. despite the fact that they In.
dulged In much growing when at one
time II seemed probable that. their ia.
Yirltes would win out They haye de,
manded fair test. II has been given
70 them, and now they say that the
government cannot win in such con.
test because of conditions which every
sensible person knew were In exist.
snee between the two when the strug.
3 gle began. This leads us back to the
original proposition, that business ia
business" and that no administration
10 handling the money of the taxpay-
ers can afford to ignore that fact,