The Washington times., 1922-12-02
NAVY YARD MEN
RAPsECREI
DATA
Want Facts on Which Pay
Scales Are Fixed-Board
Concludes Its Sessions.

0C0I08 At0 VuN0o-0O0IO
Concludes Ito Sessions.
The wage board Of the Navy De
bartment, which has been conduct.
ing q hearing on wage scales In
the navy yards of the United States
IN the Navy building. Eighteenth
and B streets northwest. completed
its meetings yesterday sterno0n.
Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss pre-
! sided. -.
Capt. L. M. Cox. u. 8. N. sta.
= toned at Mare Island navy yard,
California. appeared before the board
r yesterday on behalf of the navy
wage earners on the Western coast.
He advocated the aboiishment OF
f, the present system Of arriving at
wage scales through the considers.
ton of secret facts collected by
the Government or presented to 1t
- confidential information.
Many OF the differences between
the Navy Department and its en-.
ployes, he said, wero the result OF .
feeling on the part OF the wage
scales through the consideration Of
secret facts collected by the Gov
eminent or presented to 1t as con.
fidential information.
Many Of the differences between
the Navy Department and its en-
ployes, he said, were the result Of
q feeling on the part Of the wage
earners that facts were being kept
from them which had a direct
bearing upon their interests. He
said that q closer cooperation be-
tween tho Government and en-
ployes and an exchange of conf
dences was the solution to these
differences.
Facts Withheld. He Says.
"The average working man."
Capt.Cox said. has sufficient intel.
ngence to agree on any reasonable
srounds for arriving at . fair wago
scale. There must, therefore, be q
bond Of confidence between en-
ployer and employees.
"At the present time this board 10
receiving information from in
dustries and other sources of which
the employe knows nothing. These
hcts are being withheld from the
wage earners although 1t will be
used by the board in reaching its
determinations. ! believe that the
solution Of the problem rests In
making this information available to
the employe."
Entitled to Information.
Continuing Capt. Cox said that
his reasoning was based upon in.
formation received from the local
labor boards from tho employe.
This information was used by such
boards in arriving at q wage scale
which was In turn forwarded to the
: board. When the findings of the
naval board were returned employees
were often at q loss to understand
how the wage scale was arrived at.
II this information, held to he
confidential, he said, had been
placed In the hands Of the local
: boards and through them explained
to the wage Garner. the employee,
while he might not be satisfied with
) the result. would at least know
5 upon what basis the conclusion had
been based.
., Urges Open Data.
+, Capt. Cox explained that under
! the present arrangement. there was
frequently a great discrepancy be-
tween the findings Of the board and
recommendations made by the local
boards. This happens, he said. be-
<cause the navy board has data Of
which the employe knows nothing
and consequently he feels that a
( fair wage has not been given him.
II advocate the policy Of open
data" Capt. Cox said.
e Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss,
chairman of the board, stated that
II was often not feasible to give out
: sconfidential information furnished
the board as II frequently. contained
trade secrets Of most confidential
nature.
81 Appears for Chemists.
DR.. c. L. Parsons appeared before
: the board in behalf Of the chemists
in the naval service. He requested
that the board consider placing all
chemists on an annual salary in
stead the per diem rate which now
obtained. DR.. Parson said that the
chemical profession was one Of the
most important in the country. He
requested that q change In the
method Of pay be made 20 the the
profession would be given its proper
dignity. The Navy Department. he
said. was the only Government de-
l partment which pays graduated
chemits by the day wage.
w. N. Doak, vice-president.
! tDrothhood of Railroad Trainmen,
! appeared before the board for .
higher rate of pay for switchmen in
the navy yards. He stated that the
! present pay was considerable below
+. that Of the employees on railroads in
! the same position, a. fixed by the
Railroad Labor bard.
Refers to Pearl Harbor.
N. p. Atlas. president Of District
No. a., International Machfhists,
asked for higher pay Tor the trades
a Hawaii He said that at present
Imachinists at Pearl Harbor were; re-
scoiving less than the pay recelved
IN the industries on the island. The
principal trades outside Of the Gov.
ornment, he said. received 90.e<l an
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