Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-21

r KIDAY 7 EV ENlNG,
now turning out superior plate at a
price lower than any other nation in
the world is paying for its armor.
The process of reasoning which has
prompted the Democrats to waste this
$11 900, 900 is beyond comprehension,
unless it is to provide more jobs for a
lot of worthy Democrats"
Senate Penrose never made bet
ter or more convincing speech than
that in which he protested against this
appropriation of $11, 100000 needlessly
when the country is paying war taxes
and needs every penny it can scrape
together.
The case presented by the Bethle-
hem Steel company is this: 1t has in
vested more than $7,OO0,O00 in an ar
NOR plant of it's own This plant, it
says, was built ''at the behest of the
government" probably in the usual
sense that the government does not
manufacture the various supplies
needed, but buys them from private
producers in that line Of work. This
1000, 900 armor plant is worthless for
other purposes 1t must make armor
plate or nothing at all. The advo-
Gates of a government armor plant say
that these private producers have been
making the government pay too much
for armor plate. In reply to this. ac-
cusation the Bethlehem Company
says:
England buys its ar1nor plate
from five privately owned plants,
many has two privately owned
plants, and is paying $490 ton.
Japan is the only country with a
costs her S4s6 a ton. The specifica-
tions in the United States are much
moro rigid, and the wages paid are
very much higher than those pre-
vailing in any foreign country.
In comparison with these foreign
prices, the United States" SO the
Bethlehem Company reports, lis to-
day paying $425 a ton for armor," or
S65 a ton less than the cost to Japan
with it's government plant. The aver
age cost of the armor plate sold from
this plant during the last twenty nine
years to the United States government,
as shown by the books of the company,
is S4S2-62 a ton.
The Bethlehem people, however, do
not leave the matter here. Probably
they recognize the prevalent passion
on the part of the Wilson administra-
ton for having the government do
everything that hitherto has been done
by private citizens. At any rate, they
make the following proposals:
We now offer to make armor
plate for the United States Govern
ment at 1895 a ton-a reduction of
$40 a ton, in spite of the fact that
steel prices are continually going
up. and are to-day much higher
than for many years. The proposal
price is less than has been paid for
armor by the United States in ten
years, and we agree to accept this
lower price for, the next i've years.
Since the war began we have been
able to get in Europe almost any
price we chose to ask for ordnance.
We have during that period made
no addition whatever to the selling
price to the United States Govern
ment of any of the ordnance pro-
ducts which we manufacture.
II the foregoing price is not sat-
isfaCtory. we will agree to permit
public accountants or the Federal
Trade Commission to inventory our
plant and make careful estimates
of the cost of manufacture; with
the data in hand, we will meet
with the Secretary of the Navy and
guarantee to manufacture armor at
price which will be itself quite
as low as the lowest price which
the Government could possibly
make it, taking into account all
proper charges. We make the fore
going proposition, rather than have
our plant rendered useless.
Any reasonable man would suppose
that Congress would have taken into
account this double offer. 1t is fair
business proposition and is made by
responsible people. That the govern
ment could engage In this special line
of work and turn out product Of the
same quality at lower price is beyond
belief. Politics of one kind or another
would be sure to get into the manage
ment of a government manufacturing
plant, and we all know what politics
does to cost. The quality being the
same, private energy and private in
terest can always beat the government
in costs. The second of the Bethle-
hem Steel Companys proposals is sub
stantially that the government shall
not manage, but control its s7,000,00O
armor plant as if the plant were actu-
ally the governments, and that the
product thus turned out, after all
proper charges" have been met, shall
belong to the government at the cost
of making it. Nothing more than that
could be got out of a government
owned plant, except in the way of poll
tics, and politics would certainly not
reduce the cost of armor plate, nc
matter who made 1t. But the Demo
Gratis are not worried about that. Poll
tics is evidently the very thing they
want in it. Jobs for everybody, seems
to be the motto. A political machine
at the expense of the government, is
the watchword at Washington.
But armor plate plant plans are no.
made in a day and an armor plate mil
is not built over night, for which, ir
this instance, the country may bC
thankful. as it will give the Republican
Congress of next year opportunity t.
cancel the appropriation and repea
the act.
ctO onn nm gyOR STEETT0N