Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-08
SETTLEMENT LIKELY
|NNAW YARDPAy
Favorable Outcome of Dispute
Is Indicated in Conferences
Held Today.
WAGE BOARD MAY FAVOR
REARRANGING OF GRADES
Recommendations to Secretary Dan
iels Are Expected to Be Acted
Upon Tomorrow.


ton navy yard dispute is Indicated
strongly today in the meeting OF two
members of the navy wage board with
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt late this
afternoon. 1t is quite possible that by
tomorrow morning the wage board Will
recommend to Secretary Daniels that
certain arrangements of grades and
pay be made at the yard, and unof-
fetal advice from the officers of the
machinists' organization is to the eff
feet that the compromise will be en-
tirely satisfactory to the officers at
least. The machinists local union will
meet to ratify or reject the settlement
if made.
What will probably be done today
when Commander Toombs. Commander
Willard and Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt close their conference is that
machinists and toolmakers at the
Washington navy yard will be put into
the same grade or class on the pay
roll. The recommendation undoubtedly
will be acted upon by Secretary DAN
iels one way or another tomorrow. un-
less some hitch occurs in the proceed
ings. If it is approved it will prac-
tically mean a 32-cent raise for a. large
number of men, placing the maximum
rate a day for toolmakers and ma
chinists at $4.56.
n. P. Alias, president of the local
machinists' union, and the committee of
machinists who called on the assistant
secretary yesterday, spent half hour
at the department again today. They
reported a satisfactory conference with
members of the naval wage board, who
explained that they were limited by an
iron-bound law not to present for con-
sideration figures of wages from plants
outside of a certain radius. They con-
ferred also with Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt.
Wage Board Is Limited.
The machinists had felt aggrieved
yesterday because they believed Sec
rotary Daniels had told them that in
making up Washington navy yard fig
ures of daily pay the conditions at
Bridgeport, Conn.,. could be taken into
confederation. These figures were not
taken into consideration, as has been
explained, for the very good reason that
the law limited the wage board to ex-
amining conditions at Midvale, Bethle-
hem, Norfolk and Baltimore.
The present navy yard figures, 1t is
admitted, parallel the machinists fig
ures at any of these latter points, but
by adding the high figures of Bridge
more money.
The misunderstanding between the
machinists committee and Secretary
Daniels arose because he said the ma
chinists' own committee could go where
it pleased to gather data. However,
the official wage board was limited.
Another subject that probably will
be settled this afternoon concerns a
mere two-tenths of 1 per cent in fig
uring increases in cost of living. The
wage board figured a Z per cent in
crease in the cost of living. whereas
the men claim they should have a 7.2
per cent increase figured in the con-
ditions.
ures and technical details, but it all re-
solves itself into the possibility of a
twenty thousand dollar annual in
crease over the increases announced
earlier this week.
Present Rate of Pay.
The present rate of pay for machin
lists is s4.4S. s4.24. 81, s3.76. 1852 and
$32S. in accordance with the work
done. Toolmakers are being paid $4.56,
$4.32 and $4.OS. These rates are the
new rates. If the present possible COM
promise is effected the three top rates
for machinists will be exactly what the
three rates for toolmakers are and the
1928 rate. or minimum will be drop
ped. putting all the minimum-rate men
in the $3.50 class.
The rates would then be for ma
chinists. including tool makers. $4.56,
S432, $4.0S, 1884 and S3.52
The wage board must make recon-
mendations which will then go to the
Secretary. Secretary Daniels would
give no indication of how he feels
about the matter today. but the ma
chinists' committee went from the
Navy Department feeling that sat
isfactory settlement would be reached.
All talk of strikes" and "walkouts"
was tabooed by them.