New-York tribune., 1921-01-12
Repair Men Get
I1ltimatun OF
Shipping Board
View York Yards Given Until
Middle of Next Week to
Revise the Prices Asked
Bv Them for Materials
Prepare Against Decision
Plants Here Declared To Be
Underbidding Almost All
ON the Atlantic. Coast

limited States Shipping Board Com
missioner John A. Donald informed
conservatives OF ship repair men, at
meeting of Shipping Board officials
.ui repair yard epresentatives yester-
iay. that the local yards would be
.;ven until the middle of next week to
esse the prices of materials used in
lew York Harbor
Unless lower figures are established,
Commissioner Donald stated in his
timatum. all repair work on Shipping
soard vessels would be taken out Of
oeal repair yards and contracts for
his work awarded to Newport and
ather ports. where, the Shipping Board
.ssintains. prices for material used alS
much lower.
William H. Todd, principal spofes-
nan for the ship repair men, in reply
Commissioner Donald's ultimatum,
.sserted that local yards were under
,ldalug almost all other Atlantic coast
ards. and that the charge of the Ship
ing Board was unfounded. Mr.. Todd
omitted that there were instances of
Ugh prices in this port, but main
aimed that they were the exception
ather than the rule.
Million Owed the Company
More than score of representatives
# the ship repair industry in this port
we're present at the meeting yesterday.
The Shipping Board has outstanding
ii Is amounting to more than S6 600 .00O
smong the companies represented. Some
4 these bills, spokesmen for the repair
ards said, have remained unpaid for
more than six months. Mr.. Todd as
serted that the Shipping Board owed
lis company alone, the Todd Shipyard
Corporation, $1,000
The meeting OF representatives. of
ne Shipping Board and of the repair
ards was called at the initiative of the
ormer. 1t was held a. Is Broadway.
addition to Commissioner Donald,
be Shipping Board was represented
y Commissioner Andrew Thompson,
Commander R. D. Gatewood, head of
he boards construction and repair de
,artment in this city, and Commander
Y. Y. Woodward, his assistant.
Commander Gatewood charged that
he prices for repair materials prevail
ng in this port were unfeasonable, and
;trongly urged that the ship repair
heir price lists. Both Commissioners
iona d and Thompson claimed that the
,riccs charged for ship repair mate
als in England were far lower than
nose obtaining in the United States,
nd that although the Shipping Board
sd no intention OF alotting It's repair
gork 20 foreign yards it was deter
rined that American yards must re-
,ise their nricr schedule in accordance
18th those abroad.
Donald Calls for Cut
Commissioner Donald said the Ship
aing Board does not desire the yards
q cut down on expenses by reducing
:;ages ard thus provoke labor troubles
ut that the charges for materials and
averhead were exorbitant and had tc
eme down. He said that the ~ ces
.ow charged by yards for repairs con-
.ti.uted serious obstacle to the oper-
ton and development Of the American
.lerchant marine.
The Shipping Board representatives
.uoted figures showing that in, some
instances repair materia prices in this
ort were more than 90 per cent higher
nan those in other ports. They charged
also that local yards charged more
nan 81 per cent an hour- over the
rice charged in foreign yards for
he use OF machinery. The going
charges OF SIS an hour for the use of
'ugboats for Shipping Board vessels
i2s recently been doubled to $50 an
iour, the Shipping Boards representa-
ives asserted. Excessive charges were
-lso in practice for launch hire, they
yerred
The government officials also de-
handed TO know why SO many cha.yc 3
or buckets, brooms and similar ar
cles entered so largely into overhead
Npenses. Commissioner Donald Else
santed the snip repair men to give
Interpretation Of the term cover
cad"
Todd Answers Charges
Dir. Todd, in replying to the gov
snment's charges, declared that the
fouole was not in the alleged exces-
re prices obtaining in this port. but
stn the business Of the Shipping
'osrd. He declared that if the board
'asd the bills it owed to his company
= we'll as TO the cornp npanies of all the
PAR men assembled, he would give
ne snipping Board ell the material 1t
'snted without charge.
ne said that while the reDair men
Sefe Charged heavy fines for failing
make repairs on time it was a ccm-
an ss practice for companies operating
ap7ng Board vesscls TO leave ships
,ng iole IL repair yards for days
~, tae repairs had keen completed.
-. 1000 SAID the best way Of reduc-
sne cost Of ship repairs was to
~,Ds repair contracts on the basis of
b,apeI'tiye bidding, rather than on
~ piesent plan, in which the cost Of
csI'ais forms the basic factor.
,o.,onasssioner Donald agreed that the
sse..s,fnment se., should pay it's bills 10 the
Ia repair yards and that a radical
Ssss ne made providing for i'm
iII% - payment in the future He de-
un rssu, however that the government
~ lisa 70 stand pat on its ultimatum