Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-25
SH|PbU|LDERS ALERT
British Yards Aroused 0veH
Stated Navy Estimates.
CONTRACT WORK LIMITED
Labor Party May Take Up Matter in
Parliament.
PRIVATE FIRMS HAVE SUFFERED
King Edward Delayed on Trip by Col
lapse of Motor Tire-Newspaper
Discussion Over Fly.
FIRMS HAVE SUFFERED
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special Cabegram to The Star.
LONDON, March 25.-According to pres
ent arrangement. only one battleship will
be included In the navy estimate for con-
struction in private ,rds, and the remain
der of the contract work will be few de-
stroyers and submarine boats. The dock
yards will have the other large shfps-2rob-
ably two battleships, one each for Ports
mouth and Davenport, another boat for de-
stroyers at Pembroke and some submarine
boats for Chatham. The Pembroke boat will
probably necessitate the lengthening of a
craving dock there.
1t will thus be noted that practically the
minimum amount of work is to be given out
to contract Private shpbuilders through
out the kingdom are making efforts to bring
the question of a larger share being allot-
ted to them before parliament at the first
opportunity. 1t has become the custom TO
give the dockyards first consideration IN the
ALLEGATION of new work, and there is some
ground for the suspicion that this Is IN
measure due to the vigilance of the parlia-
mentary representatives of dockyard towns
and of the labor party generally. 1t Is dill
cult to understand '. by the claims or the
Clyde and other shipbuilding centers are
not strongly set forth even by the labor
party. glance at the work given out In
recent years shows how the contractors
have been treated. and proves that there Is
reason for a protest, so the private builders
assert. Under the program for the financial
year 1904 it was considered that one ar
mored cruiser would suffice to keep the
dockyards fully employed. and the three
battleShips of that year were to go to con-
tract along with other work, but during the
session the voice of the members of parlia-
| ment favoring the dockyards was loud. and
the result was that the three battleships
were ordered. respectively. from Ports
mouth, Davenport and chatham.
Private Firms Fared Badly.
In the following year. 1904-O5, four cruis-
ers and two battleships were included In
the program. and later when 1t was found
possible to drop out of the list one cruiser.
| owing to the state Of the shipbuilding pro-
gram in foreign countries, the work for the
dockyards was not reduced: but again pri-
vate firms suffered. the contract cruiser be-
ing deleted from the program. In 19O5-O6
again the same thing happened. Ports
| mouth got the Dreadnought, but instead
of four, only three--cruisers were ordered
from the great naval establishments owned
by companies. In the financial year now
drawing to an end there is repetition of
the procedure.
1t was in contemplation to build four ar
mored ships-two in the dockyards and
two in private firms. Again the intentions
of foreign powers We're not fulfilled, and it
was found possible to drop one of the ships,
and for the fourth year in succession pri-
vate firms suffered Thus in four years six
vessels which it was the intention of the
admiralty to order from contractors when
the navy estimates of the respective years
were drawn up have been denied to pri-
vate firms. The bulls of these ships without
armor represent about $1O,O00.OOO. about
one-half of which would have gone for
labor. In other words the working classes
in the shipbuilding centers have lost about
s., 100000 In four years, along with the ad
vantage which the distribution Of such an
amount confers on the district.
The king was delayed for two hours on
the roadside near Harpenden the other
Sunday afternoon by the collapse of one of
the back tires of his motor car.
His majesty, accompanied by Lord Far
quhar and Captain the Hon. Seymour For
tesque, was motoring to Luton Hoo, Bed
fordshire, to lunch with Sir Julius and Lady
Wernher.
The tire burst shorty after passing Har-
penden common about noon 1t was patched
up but as it still unsatisfactory the
king was not allowed to proceed in the car.
A messenger was accordingly dispatched
to the Railway Hotel. Harpenden, to en-
gage a brougham to drive his majesty the
| remainder of his journey. and telephone
message was sent to Buckingham palace
for second car.
King Treated Mishap Lightly.
Meanwhile Sir Julius Wernher. wonder
ing at the lateness Of his royal guest, dis
patched a motor car to find out what was
wrong. This arrived at the scene OF the
breakdown at the same moment the
hotel carriage, and the remainder of the
journey was accordingly made by the king
in his hosts car. which reached Luton
Hoo two hours late.
The king treated his mishap with entire
good humor, alighting from the car when
informed of the accident and inspecting
the spoiled tire. During the interval before
| the arrival of the car sent by Sir Julius
Wernher his majesty strolled about Har-
penden common smoking and enjoying the
fresh air.
To his chauffeur he remarked that acci-
dents could not be helped. sometimes. 1t
SO happened that there were few speeta-
tors about at the time. and few, indeed.
were favored by what might have been an
excellent view of royalty.
Newspaper readers the world over are
apparently just about the same For In
stance, one Of the leading London dailies
Is now devoting entire columns to the fol-
lowing question signed by one Of the read
ers as "Semaj Yrrabv Of Grimsby," which
is apparently transposed and translated. one
while travelling in a train yesterday I
happened to notice a fly inside the carriage
on the rear parcel rack. Taking fight it
few in the same direction the train was
going and alighted on the rack opposite.
Perhaps one OF your readers can tell
me whether the fly in order to do this few
faster than the train was traveling7
MY opinion leads me to believe 1t did.
but it is scarcely credible that SO small an
insect can travel faster than an express
train
CHILD's MARVELLOUS ESCAPE.