Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-14
THE S-HOUR LABOR LAW
And What Il viii Cost the Navy. Dis
cussed by Sec. Meyer


New York February 13.-TAe cost u
the nation 3f the extension to private
ShipyarlS of the cieht-horr labor law.
as proposed, vas one OF the topics dis
cussed by secretary Of the Navy Mey-
or in his address here tonight before
the Republican Club. Secretary MeE-
"r quoted. as am example, the dill
ference in cost between the Florida
now building at the New York Navy
Yard where the eight hour l:iW Is et
fcvtiXc. and the T'tah. n sister ship.
launched six months ago AZ private
navy ward in Camden The FloridH,
he said. would cost 81 100 600 or s.. $50.
ooo more than the ship built at N"
privatt yard.
1t Is interesting 10 not also what
a detrimcnt Il would be To the re-
sources OF the country if the private
yards are TO be driven to an eight
hour basis just at the moment when
our shipyards are successfully com
pctinC with the shpbuilding organiZa
tions Of the great maritime nations,
he said. We know that if the YES
sells of the building program recon
mcnded by the President We're To ho
built in the Government navy yards
it would cost about S20,11J. 900, where
as if built under present conditions OF
labor in the private shipyards, with
out restrictions by an eight-hour law,
there would be a saving OF about FIVE
and one-quarter millions Of dollars
The Battloship Arkansas. which
was launched last month al Camden.
y. j.. was constructed and launched
at cost of four and one-half mill
lions, or one and one-half mil
lions less than the limit o!
cost fixed by Congress. The Flor
ida. building at the New York navy
yard. will cost $6.40o,000 and its cost
will exceed that of her sister ship, the
Utah. by $2.45o.too
I'm the case of the new Texas.
thousand tons larger than the Arkan-
sas. with the eight-hour provision the
Department was obliged to accept the
one offer OF $5.S30,00 an advance IN
price over that for the Arkansas OF
81. 80, 600. although the size had only
increased a thousand tons. 1t is esti-
mated that the sister ship of the new
Texas. to be called the New York,
which Congress provided should pe
built in a navy yard-meaning the
New YORK NaIU-tdli ii't p' '"--~
less than 81, 500. 900. In other words. II
Congress will permit the Ne" YORK |"
be built at a private snip yaru. a Sd,
ing can be effected, based nn the esti-
mate for the Texasrsg exep, Ma5A the
eight hour limit Of labor. or sEhTooo.
IAN of us are anxfnus Qrtlnlvfrsai
peace and there are many, VINO ieei
that it can eventually neQprnlght
about by an interpationaEsu supreme
court We must beartin mind, pow
ever. that no court can be OF any ser
yica unless its decreeS can be en-
forced. When the nations agree to an
international court, it is certain that
five or six of the great nations VIII
he Obliged to maintain naVics in order
that the DEGREES of the court will be
maintained. 1t will be necessary that
M one of these nations shall have q
greater or more powerful navy than
tho combined navies of the other ma
tion members of the court. We may
therefore feel sure that the American
navy in the future, under the most
favorable conditions as to peace, will
have TO exist. 1t will have to be ready
to do its snare in the enforcement or
the DEGREES of this court. if estab- l
lished, when necessary" ,,4. 4
Secretary Meyer spoke Of the desir- \
ability of establishing naval base
at Guantanamo and mentioned plans
of the Navy Department for Developing
Pacific coast harbors so that the en- A
tire fleet might be maintained on theH
western coast. This. Secretary Meyers
said. would follow the opening of thea
Panama Canal.