Evening star., 1922-02-12
NAWYARDLAY-0FF
BELIEVED ENDED
Men Losing Jobs Now Hope
Shipping Board May Supply
Repair Work for Shops.

Reduction of the mechanical force
at the navy yard has practically been
completed, it is understood, but an
nouncement of the placement of ap.
proximately 100 members of the clerl'
cal, technical and general overhead
force upon the leave without pay
list is expected within the next week
The cut in the clerical and techni-
cal force is due to the dropping OF
the 1892 mechanics and general shoT
employees during the latter part OF the
week past, since the office force gen.
orally is computed to be in direct ra-
tio with the mechanical employees.
Shops Survey Completed.
Machinists' Union officials had prac-
tcaily completed a survey of the pur-
poses for which the shops OF the
Washington navy yard might be used
for government department business
and the details are expected to be m
corporated in President Johnston
letter to President Harding tomorrow
1t is understood that experts nave
been working for the machlnlsts no'
ony on the various utilizations to
which the navy yard shops through.
out the country might pc put, pu'
also as to the amount or Work tne
government is having done at prlVa!e
concerns and the amount OF 1unos
spent for such work.
Comparative statistics have been
gathered. and rough draft OF the
letter is now being completed.
Senate Action Important.
Much significance is attached by
union officials to the Senate action re-
garding the re-conditioning of the
steamer Leviathan. 1t is pointed out
- that if the result of such action Will
he the allotment of that Work 10 the
Boston navy yard, a virtual precedent
will have been established Tor the
United States Shipping, Board Wnere, e
by it's steamers will be enaoleu ~
make navy yard shops their repair
A snecial committee of the Colum-
bia Lodge Of Machinists, represent
ing the majority of navy yaro EN-
ployes of this craft, was IN sess,oi,
for virtually the entire day YESTERDAY
attempting to devise ways and means
for an aIleviation of the situation.
Several conferences have been nelo
between members of this committee
and senator's and representatives on
Capitol Hill to consider the snapins
of legislation which will aid in re-
adjustment.
The Navy Department, from state
ments of officials there, seems Wl!l1ns
TO consider putting the men back at
work provided that it can be SHOWN
that there is a manner in which this
can be done logically, and II an
answer can be given to their ques-
tion: what is to be done When
there are no funds and no work.!
Col. ROosevelt's Explanation.
Col. Theodore Roosevelt, assistant
secretary of the Navy. has been be-
seiged for the past few days by
scores of the men placed on leave
without pay-officials stated that the
official term is leave without pay
and not "furlough.' which has a
technically different meaning in
Navy terminology. To each of them
he has been obliged to give the same
explanation. The work has to be
stopped. There is no use spending
100000 per day on ships that must
later he scrapped and the building
program has been halted.
The department is doing everything
insits power to keep as many of its
employees on the rolls as possible, and
will continue to do so. This Is the
substantial explanation of the case
and about as far as the department
can go, it was intimated.
Reports from navy yards as to re-
duction of personnel give the num-
ber laid Off outside of Washington
as follows: Norfolk. 11s: New York.
400. and Philadelphia. $50 1t Is es-
timated that men discharged or given
leave without pay at the Mare Island,
Calf, yard will total 1.500. and at
the South Charleston. w. Va, arnior
plant will number $50.