The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-27
SHIP YARDS WILL NOT HURRY WITH BOATS FOR NAVY
Price of Each Battleship Raised $3,00O,OO0 In Shifting
 Expenses.

! Expenses.
 Washington. Oct 26.-If the position
 taken by virtually all the big ship
 building concerns of the country 1T
 the bids which they submitted to tht
 Navy Department, and which were
 opened yesterday, be accepted. tht
 United States will be compelled to pa,
 approximately 8, oOo. 900 more per sh1I
 for it's new battIeships than ever be,
 fore and also will be compelled to wal
 much longer than had been hoped fol
 their completion.
 sN Would Shift Cost of Trials.
 All the bids submitted yesterday
 were within the limit of cost, of $11,
 800. GOO for hull and machinery, fxee by Congress in its appropriation, bu all the companies proposed that cer' tain expenses, notably those of the ses trials, hitherto borne by the contrac. tor, be shdfted to the government. Int Fore River company, one of the lead ing hidders, also proposed that the
 usual bond be not exacted.
 1A0 tkK10 0OxA1d1A0O0 " SAAO ASA>~~~OA~ for construction, however, formed the most disappointing feature of all the offers to naval authorities. Congress I4aad fixed three years as the time al llowance for construction, and had au- lthordzed the department to offer bo- nus of 20 per cent. of the price, if any Sship were completed within 26 months Every company not only declared Iitself unable even to consider this bo- mus offer as q possibility, but each tn- Isisted that 1t would be impossible to Icomplete the ships within the three years allowed. The shortest period es- ltfmated by the Newport News Ship- building and Dry Dock company is ,SS months for one ship, but the same cbmpany. asly for 45 months for a .sec- |ond ship, and the time limits set by 'bther companies run in some instances mp to four years. x One oficial of the Navy Depart
 ment to-day broadly fntimated that the shipbuilding companies apparent ily proposed to obtain the equivalent ! Of the bonus for speedy construction by marking up the prices and at the
 same time to take their own time about carrying out the work.
 N There are q number of interesting details in the various bids, as nearly every company submitted number Of alternative proposals 'l.s
 The FOre River Company, which is Ec6ntrolled by Charles Schwab's Beth lehem Steel Company. made the greatest number of proposals. In the first place, on the basis of current pri- ces of materials. with the adaptations that the Goxernment agree to increase the price should the price of materials rise, or decrease 1t should materials fail-the agreement to be based on the reporfs of the Federal Trade Com mission the cofnpany offered to build one ship for $10. s60, 900, or two ships for $10.oeo0oo apiece.
 Other Fore River Oners.
 The price. was fixed on the basis that the Government design and fur nish electrical propelIing machinery, which the company would install. The electric system ls strongly favored by Navy Department experts. The com pany also offers to build one ship for $11,016,OOo, or two for $10,716,OO0 each, and for this price to design. build and install steam turbine propel- ling machinery with mechanical re- duction gear.
 \ On >the other hand, the company proposes to take the risk of increas- ed cost of materials and construction and to build two ships, exclusive of prppelling machinery, for $1O,875, 900 each, or for &11, ,475, ,O0O, installing it's own design of machinery.
 The William Cramp & Sons Co., of Philadelphia made an offer to build two ships on the basis of actual cost of construction, plus contractors profit of 10 per cent. on each ship. This bid appears to have been made under misapprehension. Congress authorized. the Navy Department to, entertain bids sof this description for the new battle cruisers, but not for the battleships, M
 The Best Time Offer. \ The Newport News concern. which makes the best offer in point of time, gets higher price than the Fore River Company, bidding $10,89O,000 apiece, provided it builds the machin- cry also. and $10,470, 900 apiece on two ships, provided the Navy Depart ment furnishes it's own design of cleo frical propelling machinery. The New York Shipbuilding Company wants $11,25Q,00O apiece under ,the first condition and $10,725,00 under the second, and also sets month longer time for construction.
 Naval officers to-day are pointing out that the time limit set by the builders shows, that instead of i'm proving in speed of construction, as compared with British shipyards, American builders are continually lag ging further behind. Data in possess sion of the department shows that be- fore the war the average time re-, Quired for construction of British warships was from seven to eight months less than that for American ships.
 Thus the Iron Duke, Admiral Jelli- coe's flagship. was built, from the day the keel was laid to the day shb went into commission, in two years and two months; the Audacious in the same length of time; the Ajax in two years and the King George V, in one var and tn months.
 Z On the other hand, the Texas took two years and eleven months; the New York, a Government-built ship, .yo years and seven months, and the Arkansas two years and eight months. Reports from England, since the war began, declare that British shipbuild- CTS have speeded up their construction ko unheard-of performances, but American shipbuilders are demanding IrSS, evrv- fivr.a t1or, oxyov