Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-04-30
Nj. Post Regards Congressman
Waldos Speech as an Attack
Upon Naval Officials.
CHARGES UTTERLY NoAsENsICAL
Brooklyn Representative Displayed
Gross ignorance of Facts, Says Gen.
eraI .Manager-PubIc is Referred to
Naval Officers Who Have Served
Abonrd SHIPS Built Here.

General Manager w A. Post and
other officials Of the Newport News
Shipbu!lding and Dry Dock Company,
as well aS the naval officers station
ed here, are very Indignant over the
statements made In Boston last Fri
day night by Congressman George t.
Waldo, of Brooklyn. In his speech
tile congressman made grave charges
against the private shipbuilding con.
Germs of the country, and these cllnrg-
es have since been published In the
newspapers all over the word
Among other things, Congressman
Waldo said: "Wnrships built
under contract by private concerns
and almost Immediately afterwards
sent to the Brooklyn navy yards for
repnirs, have been found To have rlv.
ct holes plugged with wood, putty and
soap Instead OF iron rivets being In.
serted. In one Instance know Of
several hundred rivcts supposed to
have been put into warship built by
contractors, whose worltmen filled up
the riyet holes with putty and wood"
Following tho above statement, the
Brooklyn Eagle. In its Issue of Sun.
day, printed Il direct attack upon the
local yurd saying, The most gluring
example of the kind of construction
referred to IN Congressman Waldos
speech Is the hattlesnip Louisi
ana. In detailing the alleged
faults OF the Louisiana, however, the
Eagle could only cite the fact that
the Louisiana's guns were not mount
ed when she left the plant of her
builders.
Utterly Ridiculous.
When seen by n representative of
The Daily Press Sunday, General
Manager Post was not inclined to
tnke the matter seriously. He said
that the charges of the Brooklyn
representatives were entirely too
ridiculous to be regarded in u
serious light, that Mr.. Waldo had sim
ply displayed gross ignorance of the
fncts and thai no one would pay, ut
tention to item. And" he aided,
with significant smile, "you must re.
member that the congressman Is
from Brooklyn In conclusion Mr.
Post said that he would refer tho
newspapers and the public to any ma,
val officer who had ever served on
board n ship built at tho local yard
declaring that his company would he
satisfied with what the officers might
have to say about the work done mt
the plant.
An Unwarranted Attack.
Yesterday, after seeing the Brook
lyn Eagle, MIR. Post was inclined to
reply to the charges more seriously
He said that it was an unwarranted
attack upon the navy department.
whose representatives inspect the
ships built Mt private yards Mt every
stage of the work and who examine
every piece Of material allowed to go
into the vessels. He also called at.
tention to the fact that large part
of the contract price of every ship
built for the government Is held up
throughout the time the ship is be-
ing built, and that part is not paid
for months after the completion of
the vessel. In the case of the Louis.
lana $S0,uvu was held by the depart
ment for six months after the ship
bad been turned over to the govern.
ment and until she had successfully
stood every test to which she could
be put.
This One is Lauehable.
The charge that the local yard was
Mt fault because the Louisianas guns
were not in place. is laughable. AS
matter of fact, the 12inch guns and
G.inch guns were mounted. and tho
4es;t.ERrp ls.tss - +-..s4 - $50 ls,a