The New York herald., 1922-02-10
THOUSANDS OUT OF
NAVY YARD JOBS
Orders Stopping Work on War
ships Affects About 600
Men in Brooklyn.

Between 500 and 600 men employed
at the navy yard in Brooklyn will be
laid off this morning when work on the
battleships South Dakota and Indiana
Will be suspended on orders from Sec
retary DENLY The order was received
at the navy yard yesterday by the COM
mandant, Capt. c. II. Vogelgesang, but
the men were kept busy the rest of the
day gathering up the tools and clearing
the way for formal abandonment. The
ships are each about 38 per cent. COM
pleted.
Capt. Vogelgesang said that about
year ago there were more than 1000
men employed on ship construction and
repairs in the yard, but that there had
since been q large reduction of the
force. There still are thirty-five ships
undergoing repairs. They will not be
affected by Secretary Denby's order.
1t was said at the navy yard that the
Indiana and the South Dakota could not
be converted into merchant vessels and
that they probably would have to be
scrapped.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (Associated
Press) The first effects CT the arma-
ment conference on the employment sit
uation We're felt to-day when several
thousand mechanics and artihcers in
navy yards were temporarily laid off
after Secretary DENLY had ordered sus-
pended all ordnance work designed for
naval vessels slated for "scrapping"
under the naval limitation treaty.
The instructions were issued in line
with President Harding's order of yes
terday suspending work on the vessels
under construction affected by the treaty.
The navy yards affected are those at
Washington. New York, Philadelphia,
Norfolk. Mare Island and possibly Bos-
ton, The ordnance plant at South
Charleston, w. Va, also was affected
similarly.
Secretary Denbys suspension order
was made public to-day after 1900 of
the 1000 employees of the Washington
Navy Yard upon reporting for work re-
ceived Temporary furloughs" without
pay. Most of them were machinists,
Capt. A. l.. Willard, Director of Navy
Yards, estimated that nearly 1000 civil
ian mechanics and artificers in navy
yards would be laid off. 4,
An effort by Senator Lodge. Repub-
lican (Mass.), to have inserted in the In
dependent offices appropriation bill an
amendment which would allow Govern
ment navy yards to bid on reconditioning
the giant liner Leviathan encountered so
much opposition in the Senate to-day
tndL he WltnuTeW IL, announcing lie
would renew it later.
The amendment proposed would re-
quire the Shipping Board to obtain bids
from navy yards for reconditioning work
before letting contracts to private yards.
The board recently received contracts
from private yards for reconditioning the
Leviathan. and New England interests
have been attempting to obtain consid-
Grafton by the board of a bid from the
| Boston navy yard.
Senator Overman. Democrat On, c.,
a member of the Appropriations Commit
| tee, however interjected that the testi-
mony had indicated that private ship
| yards could do repair work more cheaply.
| Senators King. Democrat (Utah), and
! Hitchcock, Democrat (Neb.) pressed for
an explanation as to whether the amend
ment would compel the Government navy
yards to maintain large forces, and Sen
ator Lodge stated that the direct purpose
of the amendment was the repair of the
| Leviathan, upon which no navy yard
could give an estimate under the present
| law.
QUINCY, Mass, l-eb. 9.-The Fore
River plant of the Bethlehem Shipbuild-
ing Corporation announced to-day that
| i 900 men would be laid off to-day and
tomorrow because of orders to discon-
tinue construction of che battle cruiser
Lexington, received from Secretary OF
the Navy DENLY. Officials said that
unless unexpected contracts appeared the
plant would be closed down in the fall
| upon completiCn of its present program