The Washington times., 1921-09-12
GAN !: LIVE
. ON $500,
THEY SAY
Skilled Employees Will Be Forced
to Go, Leaving Inefficient,
Leaders Contend.

A crippled Washington Navy Yard,
manned by inexperienced workers,
was predicted at q mass meeting OF
Navy Yard employees, who declared
that they would not be able to sup
port their families on the new wage
scale ordered by the Navy Depart
ment.
"Private plants pay 80 cents an
hour for the same class OF work we
are offered IS cents for at the Navy
Yard" William Mcintosh, member
Of the machinists' legislative com
mittee. declared today.
Must Go Elsewhere.
Hundreds of men now working In
the Navy Yard wsd be forced to so
elsewhere for employment IL Prcsi.
; dent Harding does hot intervene and
prevent the Navy Department from
putting it's new schedule of wages
into effect.
Instead of having the most skill
full group of workers in the country,
the Washington Navy Yard viii have
the poe-est paid and most inefficient,
II the new wage schedule becomes
effective"
At mass meeting Of 5000 Navy
committee was NAMED to go to At
,lantic City and pr ssent q resolution
of protest to President Harding.
Another committee this morning
loft q copy of the resolutions OF pro-
test at the White House and deliv-
cred other copies tn Secretary OF the
Navy DENLY, Secretary Of Commerce
Hoover and Secretary of Labor
Davis W..
The committee which called on
these cabinet members was composed
Of John Anderson. q. c. Dawson. Ed.
ward r. Williams, James L. johnson,
Hugh r. Rankin, B Il. Rinehart,
William w. Keller. r. d. Coleman,
and william Mcintosh. .....
Here IL what the proposed wage cut
means to employees at the navy yard:
The present scale 10 81 cents an
hour, The local wage board, Jointly
with the commander Of the navy yard,
prepared q new schedule and recon.
mended q cut to 80 cents an hour.
Stunned by Cut.
Workers at the navy yard had pre-.
pared for the 4-cent reduction, but last
week they were stunned by announces.
ment from the Navy Departments
general wage board that the new
scheduIe would be 70 cents an hour.
No explanation of the arbitrary re.
dutcion by the Navy Department has
been given.
Wiiiiam H. johnson, president Of
the International Association Of Ma
chinists, declared that "the wage
award handed down by the Navy De-
partment 10 q keen disappointment. 1t
falls far below our expectations and
makes Of the United States Govern
ment the most illiberal Of employers
Herbert p. Leeman, president of the
local lodge of machintsts. said
THE men are keenly disappointed,
and those with families who hereto.
fore have been able to maintain aeon
,seryatice standard Of living are at a
loss to know how they will now
make ends meet
ION June 30. last, their weekly
pay was s41.14. On September Is,
with the five-day week in effect, It
will be S2e.20 per week."
% Cents Needed, He Says.
Mp. Atlas, president of District a,
International Association Of Ma
chinists, which comprises all ma
chinists in the Government employ.
said:
"If these mechanics were given .
wage now that would provide them the
Identical standard of living they had
In 1914, they would be paid about s5
cents per hour.
"These men have practically nothing
20 look forward Il. Their wages pro-
vide q bare subsistence, no allowances
for savings. the education Of their
children, or extras such as make life
worth living"