Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-06-05
SATURDAY. JUNE 3, 1909.
DATING ON SMALL PROVOCA'
TON

OLOA Wv 0'''FN--
TON.
Hear my gloat." shouts the Norfolk
Virginian- Pilot as II publishes across
the first four columns of it's 'front.'
page. in large type. Government Nay
ne Forced to Construct Its Warships
This heading is over view vi
corner of the great plant of the New
port News Shipbuilding & Dry DOCK
Company, and an article under
Washington date line, which opens
with a paragraph reading as follows
"A reported movement for the nrsani-
cation OF a shipbuilding trust, com
prising all of the yards on the NJ
lantic coast capable of building pat
tleships. means that the government
will necessarily be forced in the near
future TO build all new ships at the
navy yards" Following this para
graph comes the speculative story.
sent out Thursday night by the Cen
tral News Bureau, and printed In this
paper yesterday morning with state
ment rom General Manager Walter a.
Post, denouncing the report as a fao-
afcation, wholly without foundation, as
far as the Newport News company Is
concerned.
No mention of a denial from any
body is made in the startling head
lines of the virginian- Pilot. The arti-
Gle. together with the heading, ills
the first column on the front page.
and is continued on page nine. On
page nine Is printed a brief Dispatch
sent ont by the Associated Press,
giving Mr.. Posts denial.
Across Hampton Roads there Is
navy yard; a small affair as compared
with the Newport News Shipbuiiding
plant, but navy yard for all that.
This navy yard really is located in
Portsmouth, but Norfolk has claimed
it, 10 thtse many years. and the world
at large knows il as the Norfolk navy
yard.
No doubt Norfolk would claim the
local plan; II Newport News did not
figure so prominently in the
company's name. AS it Is.
Norfolk must content herself
with Portsmouth's navy yard. Hence
the gloating on the strength OF a sen
sational. speculative report TO the ef-
feet that the Newport News Ship
building & Dry Dock Company is
involved i'm an agreement which might
result in the formation of a shipbuild-
ing trust, and the construction OF gov
crnment ships in the navy yards.
No one can blame Norfolk for being
interested in her" navy yard. but II
does seem that in this instance the
ViTginian- PHO, began glOating with
small provccaticn. II Mr.. Posts state
ent had been read carefully. and con-
scidcrcd in conn ctioB with known
facts. perhaps the headlines might
have been reduced in size. or. al
least. the denial would not have been
put where the average r-ader would
never End II.
a. Mr.. Post states, the Newport
News company never has entered Ia
90 an agreement OF combination Eycr
~ Er. Posts evnnhstic and unequivoca
denial Of the combination report. a
far as the local company Is concerned
could not b. accepted unsupported, !
glance at the existing conditions i
enough to prove the ahSurdiiy q IN
report. The Newport Nrr~s company 1
new building the baithShip Dciawar'
for about half a million daliors lea
than the contract price o; the Della
wares sistcrski?. under construction
81 the Fore River plant. In the pas
few ~tc1S- the local company has 50
cured contracts for an enormous b.
q work. 30 much work Thar the ysf'
vfH b op-rsicd 10 hs capacity &c n
near f5srs. 0tbes companies said q