The Washington times., 1921-08-17
NAVY YARD PAY
T0bE ADJUSTED
AFTER PROTEST
Chairman Of Wage Review
Board Promises Action to
Delegations From 3 Cities.

Abuses in the navy yards through.
out the country, whereby the work
ingmen suffer, will be looked into by
the Navy Yard Wage Review Board.
Captain Robson, chairman Of the
board today promised delegations OF
men from the Philadelphia. Norfolk
and Washington yards that he would
try and eliminate the abuses they
claimed existed.
One Of the principal abuses, II was
charged. is the system whereby men
working for many years as first
class mechanics are given lower
rating and consequently lower pay.
because the funds for carrying on
the work are low.
Captain Robson told the Norfolk
delegation. who first made the
charge, that he did not think II was
an economy move and that he would
Immediately get in touch with the
commandments OF the yards through
out the country and have the abuse
stopped.
BoflermaISers Protest.
The delegation from the Washing
ton Navy Yard representing the boiler
makers protested against the decision
of the wage board. Frank Goodman,
who made the protest said that the
wage board went contrary to the law
in lowering the wages OF the men
employed as boilermakers, because
there was no other plant in or near
Washington with which a comparison
of wages could be made. He said that
the boilermakers in the Washington
Navy Yard were not Of the ordinary
run of boilermakers but of a higher
technical standard. He said that they
did not fit boilers at the Washington
yard but did exceptionally technical
work on tubes that required a high
order Of skill.
All of the yards represented COM
planned against the method OF rating
the efficiency of the workers and said
that something should be done to
remedy the faults of the system. The
method gives the supervisors who
make the ratings too much latitude in
rewarding friends and Furnishing
enemies, they charged.
l.. f. Savage, representing the
boilermakers OF the Norfolk yard,
made a plea for shop committees to
meet monthly with officials of the
yard to discuss conditions, and also
asked that the men on the shop COM
mittees be put on a preferred list
Whcb II " ICuuSihb Lhc lotSc.
He had a clash with Captain Robson
over the matter of the pay given the
apprentices. Captain Robson said
that 81 a day was too much to pay
the boys, when men on the outside
were not receiving this much or little
more for work, and had large families
to support.
Condemns Commandant.
81
action Of the commandant of the
Norfolk Navy yard in not bidding
on work that was given to a pri-
vate concern. The reason given him
for not bidding, Mr.. Savage said,
was that there was more important
work on hand and also that there
was a shortage of materials. After
the contract had been awarded to
the private concern, he said. materi-
ais were obtained from the Navy
yard to complete the job.
n. II. Colein, Jr., representing the
ship filters and of Norfolk yard, said
that private concerns in Newport
News were paying men 81 an hour
for work that the Government in
the yard was paying only eighty.four
cents an hour. He said that the
affidavits which he presented war
ranted an increase in pay rather
than a decrease.
A. J. Smith, representing the ship
pers and carpenters and riveters Of
the Norfolk yard, complained that the
best mechanics had been discharged
recently when the funds were low and
men kept who were not as good work
men. Many of the men kept, he said,
were without dependents, while the
men laid off we're men with depen-
dents