The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-18
New Battleships May Be Constructed in Govern
 ment Yards
PRIVATE BIDS FAIL TO COME WITHIN LIMIT
New York and Philadelphia Yards Submit Estimates of Less Than $7,000, ,000--All Private Bids
 Exceed $7,S00,0 ,0OO

Washington. November 17.-Because of the apparent failure of private bid ders to keep their proposals within the s7,So0,ooo limit of cost set by Congress for the hulls and machinery of battle- ships numbers 4S and Al, bids for which were opened today at the navy depa, tment, construction of both yes. sells may be undertaken at govern laent navy yards.
 The New York and Philadelphia gov ernment plants submitted estimates of less than s7,000,000 each for ships pro- electric drive to be used in the new s,ipertiTesdnaught now building at the bine ship, was next lowest
 New York yard. These we're the low est lids, and the same yards also submitted the lowest figures for ships equipped with Parsons steam turbines. the tasis of all but one of the pri q vate eios. The Mare Island yard with an estimate of $7.413,155 for a tur- FORE RIVER co. LOWEST BIDDER
 The lowest private bid was of the Fore River Shipbuilding company, which submitted four alternate pro- posals. Each was made under stipu- lated notifications to the department s specifications, which apparently would bring the total cost far above the ST. 8O0,000 maximum The bids of the oth- CT two private bidders. the New York ShipbuiIoing company and the Newport News Shipbuilding company, also pro posed notifications, and a careful study will be necessary before the ex- act cost of the ships can be deter mined under each bid.
 Pending the result of that study Secretary Daniels was unwilling to say tonight what course he would follow should all the private bids be outside the limit set by Congress. 1t is un- derstood, however, that an effort will be made to induce the ship companies to reduce their figures before it is de- termined to give the work to the navy yards. The secretary made it cellar that he believed it necessary to equip two more government yards for bat tleship building, regardless of the final decision as to the pending Sisfs. The New York yard Is tIseson1y ore so equipped now, but the Philadelphia and Mare I$sland yards can be made ready for big jobs at relative small expense, pense.
 WAR EFFECTS PRICES
 Aue result ol NIle EurOpedn Wdr $ ue- mands on American markets Is shown by the fact that the hulls and machinery of the new battleships Mississippi and Idahf were contracted for at $7,115,0O0 and $I250,s coo respectively a year ago, while today { private bids for virtually identical ships ranged from s7.229,000 to $7,775.00o with various qualifications, such as stipulations that the government must assume all insurance charges, pay for test trials and supply much portable material required to be furnished by the contractors in the advertised specifications and providing for the substitution of cheaper grades of steel and timber than specified.
 New hull construction due to plans to lessen the danger from torpedo attack occasioned some of the increase Sev- eral bids, however, rejected the stipula- ton that changes in bulkhead construc- ton could be made by the government at any time within three months after the contract award should new information on the subject be obtained.
 While the department srecificati tions 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 stalling this radical departure in propel- ling plants In other new ships. Recent additional tests of the electric drive on the collier Jupiter has convinced the de- partment's experts that it IS not only cheaper to install, but cheaper in opera ,ion No private bidder ever has pre- sented figures on this type of ship. Bids for armor for the new ships, also opened today, showed little increase in price since the last armor constructs were awarded. The Carnegie company's was low bid for the first-class armor for both ships at $425 per ton.