Evening star., 1923-06-30
Force Must Be Cut to Keep
Pay Increases Inside
Appropriation.
WORKERS TO ADVOCATE
DEFICIT TO SAVE POSTS
Revised Rates Themselves Consid-
cred Generally Satisfactory
to All.

Wage increases, which become ef-
fective tomorrow in all navy yards,
will result in furloughing hundreds
the Navy Department. approximately
100 workers at the Washington yard
will be released the latter part of
next week.
The total number to be laid off at
the various navy yards, 1t was said,
will depend on how many can be
carried on the allotment for the new
fiscal year.
Fifty at the local yard have been
furloughed during the past month.
The 100 slated to go next week will
reduce the force to about 2,S00. The
personnel during the war was about
10000
VIII Urge Deficit.
While commencing the Navy De-
partment for granting the increase,
n. P. Alifas, president of District No.
A, International Association of Ma
chinists, said today that it is re-
grettable that the reduction in the
working forces has been found
necessary.
Mr.. Alias said his organization
will urge the Navy Department to in
cur deficiency instead of discharg-
ing workers. believing that such Il
step is justified. The department also
Will be asked, he said, not 10 let out
any work that can be done in the
government yaros to private con-
tractors.
When wages go up after Con-
greSs makes an appropriation, said
MT. Alias. Congress snouIa increase
the appropriation II il wants the
same amount of work done"
haise ls Appreciated.
The new wage scales. he pointed out,
will meet with general satisfaction
among the men. The men at the
local yard, however, he said, feel that
they should have been granted the
IS cents an hour which they asked.
but, in view of the economy in the
government, they will accept the so
cents an hour scale without protest
and with appreciation for the consId-
eIdlIou even IneIn py the depart
mental wage BOARD.
All data relating TO furloughing the
additional 100 workers were turned
over Louay to I.ear admiral b. +.
hutchinson, VINO succeeded near Ad-
mirai j. Ii. Dayton as commandment.
Admiral Dayton wI4l leave waSnIng-
ton to take up has new assignment
with the Special service Squadron IN
Central America. Admiral HUTCHINSON
comes from tie pacinc meet, where he
was the cnlet OF SLaH.
New Rates Tomorrow.
The new wage scales, computed
upon rates prevailing in similar lines
of commercial work, will become
effective tomorrow in all navy yards
and naval shore establishments.
While the rate for every trade varied
as between yards, there was a general
increase of 10 per cent for the helper
and artisan group; II per cent for the
lower grades or cIerlcal, technical and
drafting groups, ana ABOUT 1u per
cent Tor Ine higher grades of these
same traces. Cnanses IN pay for
common labor wouIu not be approx
mated, the department ahnounced.
s.nce they were drawn to meet local
conditions in the vicinity of each
yard.
The machinists in the local yard get
an increase OF z GEMS an nour over
The former wage of i3 cents. Boiler
makers will receive so cents an hour:
patternmakers, 80 cents; blacksmith
neIpers, 81 cents, and common labor,
SO cents.
Examples Of Scales.
Typical examples of the new rates
at the other yards, indicating the va
j riations, follow:
Blacksmith helper-Mare Island, 62
cents an hour; Boston. 61; Philadel-
phia, SO, and Norfolk, SO.
Common labor-Boston, so cents:
frll
81, and New Orleans. 81.
Stevedore-Portsmou So cents;
New York, 81, and Norfolk, 46.
Firemen-Boston, 20 cents; New
York. 73, and Key West. 50.
Machinists-Boston. 81 cents; New
York. 20; Norfolk. 6S, and Mare Is
| land, 73.
Rate for Divers.
Divers will receive s1.s6 an hour
and pIasterers SLIP an hour at all
yards except on the west coast, where
the pay will be $1.15.
Sea-going pilots and tug masters al
! New York and Norfolk were given
! $4,000 year and at other yards $1,000
! to s2,700.
The new wage scales are based on
| the report of the departmental wage
| board, which replaces the one made
| by the same board in May. which was
recalled by Secretary DENLY because
| of the general dissatisfaction evil
denced both among civilian employees
and naval officials in charge of the
yards. Commandants of most yards
! reported it would be difficult, If not
| impossible to maintain their forces
| in the face of outside competition, IL
| the May schedules were approved. Or
ganized groups of workers declared
! that the list of civilian establish
ments used in determining the pay
| had been ''padded" with unrepresenta-
tive plants.
Considered Improvement.
| The new award, in the opinion of
/ the workmen's representatives, COM
/ prised a material Improvement In
/ compensation for the principal trades
! as compared with that offeled In the
! May award. While some increases
were made In the recalled schedules
such advances were practically offset,
they said, by reductions in other lines.
The workmen contended that the old
| award was unfair because the data
upon which 1t had been based was
! collected before the spring improve
ment in industry had stimulated pay,
in many trades.
The latest award was computed on
new statistics gathered within the
! last six weeks.