Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-13
DEFENDS FEDERAL
. PLANT OPERATION
Alias Warns of Effort to
Close Navy Yards and
Shops of Government.

Labor last night was warned Of the
coalition of industrialists and trade
bodies effected here at a conference
Thursday and Friday ito combat GOV.
eminent participation in purely com,
mercial activities"
"Ostensibly the conference proposed
10 combat Government interference
with private industry. but judging by
the scope of their program, it may
well be denominated interference with
government on the part OF private
business, y. p. Alias, president Of
District No. A. International Associa-
ton of Machinists. who represents
machinistS employed at the navy
yards, arsenals and other Governments
plants, declared in a statement.
Urges Close Watch.
The legislative program and pro
posed activities should be watched
with the utmost vigilance by organized
labor and the workers OF the country
in general" he said.
THE conference appears to be in
substantial accord with organized
labor in so far as it is opposed to the
production of priSon-made goods" Mr..
Alias continued. This competition
is unfair both To the employer and the
workman, but there is a vast differ
ence between the status of prison
made goods and the limited amount
OF production work carried on by our
Federal Government in providing the
material and supplies for carrying on
the work of the several departments.
For instance, our Federal Government
has invested over one-half billion dol
lars in we'll equipped navy yards and
arSenalS, for the purpose of having
these establishments used to construct
and repair naval vessels and to manu-
facture ordnance materials for the
Government own use and not for
sale to private citizens. There is a
wide difference between the Govern
nent entering into competition with
private industry by manufacturing
and producing all sorts of supplies
10 private citizens and the Govern
ment doing its own work.
Finds Theory Illogical.
IF I understand the purpose of the
conference correctly, its purpose is to
see to it that all supplies used by the
several Government departments, prin-
cipally the Navy Department and the
War Department, are purchased from
private contractors instead of being
produced in the Government own
workshops If it is good policy for
the Government to close down its
large, well equipped navy yards and
arsenals, paid for by the taxpayers
money, in order that private concerns
may make profits out Of doing work
for the Government. and incidentally
relieving them of this competition so
that their charges can be increased. 1t
is also logical to insist that the Post
Office Department should be abolished
and the distribution Of mail be placed
in the hands of private parties. II
this theory is carried to its logical
conclusion all Government buildings
might be vacated in order that prl-
waite builders and landlords be encour-
aged and that the open door of oppor-
tunity' might he especially applied to
their respective lines of business at
public expense.
The program of this employers
conference if carried out would mean
the closing down of the Washington
Navy Yard and the letting OF the
work to such concerns as the MID
vale and Bethlehem Steel companies
of PENNSYLVANIA; the closing down or
the Norfolk Navy Yard and substi-
Iuting the Newport News Shlpbuild-
ing CO.: closing down the other navy
wards for the same reason, ana pre-
venting the United States Shipping
Board from having any of Its work
performed at the navy yards, and thus
add an additional burden to the Amer
lean merchant marine, which ALREADY
is making a tremendous struggle for
existence without having high charges
for repair of its vessels levied upon
it by private concerns operating for
a good profit.
"As long as our Federal Govern
ment has a given amount of material
to be produced it does not change the
status of the open door of opportu-
nifty for the people who live in the
United States, whether the work is
done by certain favored private con-
tractors or in the Governments own
shops, and we are firmly convinced
that if the work IS done in the Gov
ernment'S own shops that a more
equitable and wider distribution
among American citizens of the funds
expended takes place, and that our
Federal Government saves money
thereby"