Evening star., 1921-08-17
CONTINUE ATTACK
AGAINST OVERHEAD
AT WAGE HEARING
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machine was finished is another one
which will be looked into with a view
to preventing loss Of time.
H. Bischoff. representing the tor
pedo plant at Alexandria, Va, also
protested against the overhead
charge at this station and against
times it takes as long as two hours
to get piece of material to finish
a job on the machines He felt, and
the men at the plant felt. that there
should not be a reduction of wages
at this time. In fact. he said. they
were looking for an increase to take
the place of the bonus of s249 a
year. which was taken away from
them.
Il wish I thought that they would
not be- disappointed" Capt. Robson
remarked
Complain of FavOrftiam.
Many complaints of favoritism in
the Philadelphia navy yard were reg
istered by William Z. Comfy of the
committee from that city, which also
included Arthur T. Stigale and Leo
Hood He pointed out that men who
were bartenders before the war now
were being carried as machinists in
the Philadelphia yard. and that young
men who were not machinists were
given soft" clerical jobs. while aged
men and trained machinists were
given hard work, such as scrubbing
shop floors.
Give. me those instances in writ
ing. I'll get action" fired back CAPT.
Mr.. Comfy also pointed out that
the cost of living was increasing
there. Even the government is doing
IT. He presented in the evidence a
letter of a yard employe who lives
In a goyernment-owned house, who
has just had his rent increas sed Is
Ier cent. which, coupled with a Is
per cent reduction already in effect
at that yard. amounts to 80 Der
cent. reduction in the case of increa sed
living costs. Private house owners
also Increased rents on July 1 there
he said.
M Comfy expressed the hope tha,
the board would not be Influenced
by erroneous figures and statements
from; outside firms.
Not as Pure as Ivory Soap.
"Of course" said Capt. Robson
I'm not as pure as Ivory SOAP"
But" retorted MIR. Comfy, "if the
captain Is SO per cent as pure as
Ivory soap. we will get an increase
2 IN be honest with you. said Capt
Robson. Il am going to get every
cent into the workmen's pocket that
1t is possible to get there"
J. w. Carey, Newport, r. L, sug-
gested that some form of merit sys.
tenn should be provided in the yards
whereby the men who had been
there longest should be retained. He
also suggested change in the local
wage board system of fixing wages
He rather liked the system in the
Springfield arsenal, where man
representing each trade and an Army
officer went out together to get fig
ures for wage adjustments.
Capt. Robson said this would be
quite a task in the case Of the navy
yards. where there were 1,sO0 diff
ferent trades.
Practically all of the labor men
complained that the local wage
boards did not have accurate figures
on which to base their recommends
tions. D. D. Shea of Boston said that
a check-up Of the figures of the local
used figures from firms which did not
even employ machinists.
J. H. Wilson Of Norfolk said that
outside wages in Norfolk were high
er than in the yard, and G. Wallace,
Brooklyn yard, gave similar testi-
mony.
Other members of the committee OF
the Washington yard were William
Mcintosh, Edward r. Williams, T. J.
Hughes, James L. johnson, r. D.
Coleman and H. F. Rankin.
Says Rates Were Lowered.
Arbitrary reduction of wages in
the Norfolk navy yard has been prac-
ticed by forcing ffrst-class mechanics
to take a lower rating or suffer
dismissal. L. F. Savage. representing
the boilermakers of the Norfolk yard
testified before the general wage
board today. He produced cards OF
several men bearing the notation
.tdisrated on account of lack OF
funds"
He also charged that the money
interests" and the Atlantic coast
shipbuilders were engaged in a CAM
paign to force reduction Of wages
in the government yards. and pointed
out that the government should moi
be . party to such methods.
position to the plan of disratfng men
in order to get them to work for
q lawer wage. He turned to Chief
Clerk Curtis. a member of the board
and asked him to get out circular
letter to commandants pointing out
in conformity with the law.
Determined to Force Cut.
Mr.. Savage pointed out that the
fronmasters in the vicinity of Nor
folk. be had found, had agreed as to
what wage schedules they would GER
tify to the navy wage board there
He said that they were determined
to force. II possible. a lower wage
at the government yards. In order
to force lower wages in their yards
he said. they had refused work in
order to discharge employees, and ii
smaller yards accepted work, they
were boycottsd by the big builders
who would refuse to let them have
the materials with which to perform
the work.
They are determined to reduce
wages and are purposely throwing
men out of work, so that they can
get them to come back on their knees
and beg for work at any salary, for,
he said, a workman with a family of
starving children win work for al
most anything to give them food.
Element Stirring Up Treuble..
But, he pointed out, because these
private shipbuilders are taking ad.
vantage Of An Industrial condition
the government should not be a party
to II. He said that IL the general
board took into consideration all OF
the Aflldayita presented, It cannot dc
anytAfn0 hut increase the WaRAR II II