Denver labor bulletin., 1915-09-18
q. 5. SHOULD OWN
MUNITIONS PLANTS
Would Save Millions of Dollars
to the People
War trust Has Geufed the Government
isfYears inLevyinf Tribute That Has
Gone to Enrich Greedy Patriots
(By Clyde H. Tavenner.)

tby Clyde H. TavenneI.)
Realizing the government was being
overcharged for turbine rotary drums,
Secretary of the Navy Daniels-who, with
one exception. is the only secretary of
the navy that ] can find any trace of
who has ever made a real fight to es-
cape the extortions of the armor and
ammunition rings-induced an independ-
ent English firm to submit a bid. The
Bethlehem and Midvale companies bid
Sl69,56S and sl60,272. respectively.
while the English firm offered to fur
nish the drums for S57, ,436. saving of
sl02 ,sS5 to the government over the
lowest bid of the ring.
Recently the secretary awarded con-
tract for building 100 torpedo TASKS.
including heads. He induced a new firm
to slip in with bid. and was able to
purchase for S5s.246 materials which un-
der normal conditions would have cost
<ll5.Oa5. The bids of the Bethlehem
ard Midvale companies. under real com
Petitive bidding, showed reduction of
~ per cent as compared with bids for
similar forgings submitted by these
companies only four months previous.
People Carry the Burden.
Personally / believe that these Off
GERS " no in the expenditure of the peo-
pies money have been paving sll5.075
for supplies which could have been OBJ
taiped for 5s.2iG. should. somewhere or
in some manner. be required to make a
public accounting for their acts The
thing that rifles the blood concerning the
manner in which the millions have been
squandered by our army and navy off
Gers j that this money did not come
from the pockets OF the rich. but that il
has been wrung from the poorest of the
poor. All Of these wasted millions have
been collected by a tax on the thing
that the people eat. wear. and use. none
OF il having been collected by direct tax
alton but every cent of il having come
thru the custom houses and internal
revenue offices, which means that the
people have been paying the cost of
militarism in the form OF increased cost
OF living.
Daniels Saves $4,000 900.
BY the most ingenious maneuvering
among the war traffickers. Secretary
Daniels has been able to save some.
$2.ppa0Gn from the clutches OF the
greedy patriots for profit But. alas.
the ~sr trust has at last forced him into
a corner. and he is again wholly at its
mercy To elucidate. | am informed that
befofe the outbreak of the European
war Secretary Daniels sought by in
quir, to ascertain from companies in
the rng the price of certain projectile.
A. pscc OF $3.50 was made him. The
secTrtary then invited the Representa-
tives of independent foreign companies
to visit him and submit prices. at the
same time taking extreme care that the
domestic bidders should hear of his sup
int. Al
ring reduced its prices from s4a0 to 1926.
and the secretary made his purchases at
that figure Since the European war
broke out. Secretary Daniels. am told.
decided to purchase more of the same
proicctilc, but, to his astonishment. wa.
quoted price of 1926. The ammunition
ring bidders, being business men as we<l
a patriots. had taken advantage of the
fact that there is no possible chance OF
the secretary obtaining anything in the
way of war materials from Europe as
long ss the present war holds out, and
boosted their prices accordingly.
Own War Munitions Factories.
Is there no way whatever. it may be
asked. by which the people can protect
themselves from the greed OF the wal
trust magnstes. Yes; just one way
That is by the government taking the
profit out of war and preparation for
war by manufacturing all of its own
munitions. armor. cannon, and battle.
ships. Roth Washington and Lincoln
advocated the naturalization of the
manufacture of war munitions as sound
public policy. Government manufactur,
as policy need have no bearing what
ever on the question of whether we shall
have large or small navy
VI the government will manufacture
ali II its own war materials, millions OF
dollars will be saved annually to the
taxpayers as a result of the already
demonstrated ability of Uncle Sam tc
manufacture at cost much below the
prices of the war trust. as l shall en-.
deaver to show. Government manufac-
tine will mean that the workmen who
perform the labor of actually making
the munitions will receive higher wages
and better working conditions than the
employees of the ring of private con.
traitors receive, as these firms number
among them the most bitter enemies OF
Organized labor in the United States
working 81 per cent OF their employees
IL Tours day. according to report o,
the United States bureau of labor made
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