The Washington times., 1922-11-28
IN
NAVY PAY
CUTS
Experts Tell Board of Menace
in Putting UnskiIled at
Some Work.

The Navy Yard will be crippled
and fatal accidents will be Of
frequent occurrence if officers in
charge do not cease alleged prac-
tees resulting from lack Of
skilled mechanics, James Higgins,
International representative Of
pipe filters, plumbers, and lead
burners warned today at the
second session of the Navy De-
partment Wage Review Board.
Leave For Higher Pay.
Higgins, interrogating representa-
tives of these trades, from the Nor.
flok. Philadelphia and Brooklyn
yards brought out testimony that 1t
has been virtually impossible during
the past year to hire skilled
plumbers or steam filters at the
wage scales paid by the Navy De-
partment. AS consequence he de-
clared 'tinskilled helpery are being
advanced to posts fraught with dan
ger to any except men Of long ex.
perience. II
Wholesale desertions of the yards
In these trades are a result, of at
tractive wages offered by outside
firms. said Higgins. and II has been
necessary to adopt the expedient OF
letting out yard jobs to private con.
! tractors or utilize helpers.
Higgins bitterly attacked wage
data collected by local boards and
| submitted to the department boards
as a basis OF pay for the next year.
CollusiOn exists, he said, between
industrial executives in many of the
naval districts by which base pay
figures for their workmen are placed
| almost as low as those obtaining in
The yards. BY system of stock
bonuses, double pay for overtime
and such expedients, continued
Higgins. the pay Of mechanics in
private plants in reality bulks far
greater than that given the Navy
| Yord worker. The Todd Shipbuild.
ing Corporation OF New York was
one firm cited ais operating this pay
| scheme.
'The whole thing is a subterfuge
pure and simple. said he.
Board Making Progress.
The Wage Review Board made
much progress today In disposing of
the various crafts as one after an
other their representatives submitted
briefs and testimony.
Without exception, all strenuously
opposed any reductions In base
wages and pointed to rising living
costs as an argument for an in.
crease. Many of the men, however,
are extremely pessimistic as to
chances of advance and all
prophesy a serious curtailment In
skilled mechanics, the backbone OF
the yard system, IL wages are not
to be had.
Among the spokesmen were
several from the Washington Navy
Yard. A. M. Lawson, representing
the engineers, declared that II would
be real danger to the country for
the board to force wage cuts at this
time.
I'VE simply can't stand it," said
Lawson. why within my very
sight from the yard are engineers
drawing from $4S to $56 weekly
while inside the reservation they
are getting only $3.50 a day and
they want to cut that to $40 q
day"
Plea For Optical Shop.
In entering plea that the local
wage board be restrained from cut
ting the wage in the Washington
Optical Shop, Thomas E. Sullivan
brought out that this factory in
the local yards is turning out the
best range-finding instrument and
teriscope glasses in the world
Our product is so accurate" said
Sullivan, that our angular measure
ments. do not vary more than two
seconds, which Is one one buhdred
and sixty second thousands of an
angle Of IS degrees. No such fine
work is done by outside opticians OF
by the Bureau OF Standards itself. .
He asked for rates ranging. from 9C
cents to 20 cents an hour for workers
in the shop where the top figure IA
now IS cents.
Rear Admiral Strauss, senior
member Of the wage board was
absent from most of the imorhinp
session. his place being taken BY
A. ]. Berries, secretary OF the Metal
Trade Department OF the American