Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-11-18
PRIVATE PLANTS
bATTLESH|P BIDS
MAY Be REJECTED

Washington. Nov. 17.-Because Of the
apparent failure Of private bidders to
keep their proposals within the 81. soO, 900
limit of cost set by Congress for the hulls
and machinery of battleships numbers 43
and ~. bids for which were opened to-day
at the navy department. construction OF
both vessels may be undertaken at gov
eminent navy yards. The New York and
Philadelphia governments plant submit
ted estimates Of less than 100000 each
for ships propelled with the common
steam and electric drive to be used in
the new superdreadnoughts now bdilding
Mt the New York yard. These we're the
lowest bids. and the same yards also sfb-
mitted the lowest for ships equipped with
Parsons steam turbines. the basis OF all
but one Of the private bids. The Mare
Island yard, with an estimate OF T,413, lS
for a turbine ship was next lowest.
The lowest private bid was that Of the
Fore River Shipbuiding company. which
submitted four alternate proposals. Each
was made under stipulated notifications
to the departments specifications which
apparently would bring the total cost
bids Of the other two private bidders, the
New York shipbuilding company and the
Newport News Shipbuilding company.
also proposed notifications. and a care
full study will be necessary before the
exact cost OF the ships can be determined
under each bid.
Meanwhile Secretary Daniels was un.
willing to say tonight what course no
would follow should all the private bids
be outside the limit set by Congress. II
Is understood, however. that An effort
will be made to induce the ship com.
panies to reduce their figures before 1t ID
determined to give the work to the navy
yards. The secretary made 1t clear that
he believed 1t necessary to equip tive
more government yards for battleship
building. regardless OF the nnal decslo.,
AS to the pending bids The New York
yard Is the only one SO equipped row,
but the Philadelphia and Mare Island
yards can be made ready for big Jobs
at relatively small expense
The result of the European wars de.
mards on American markets is shown by
the fact that the hulls and machinery
OF the new battleships Mississippi ana
and $7.osoo0O, respectively, year ago,
while to-day's private bids for virtually
identical ships ranged from S..S,ooo t,
S,T5"o, with various qualifications, surn
as stipulations that the government must
assume all insurance charges. pay fot
test trials and supply much portable ma
tcrial required to be finished by tho
contractors in the advertised specifca.
lions, and providing for the substitution
OF cheaper grades of steel and TIMER
than specified
New hull construction due to plans to
lessen the danger from torpedo attack
occasloned some " the increase. Several
bids, however rejected the stipulation
tina changes In this bulkhead construc-
ton could be made by the government
at any time within three months after tho
contract award should new information
on the subject be obtained.
While the departments Specifications
called for bids on turbine driven ships,
navy officials indicated tonight that there
was no disposition to await trial OF the
California's electric machinery before In
stallng in other new ships this radical
departure in propelling plants. Recent
additional tests OF the electric drive on
the collier Jupiter has convinced the de-
partments experts that 1t Is no only
cheaper to install. but cheaper in opera
ton. No private bidder ever has present
I'D figures on this type of ship.
Bids for armor for the new ships also
opened to-day, showed little increase In
price since the last armor contracts were
awarded. The Carnegie company was low
bidder for the ilrst-class armor for both
ships at s4b a ton.