Show peruryThe The Gunboat P trel WASHINGTON March 27 Secretary Tracy has ordered the ninth payment to be made on account of the Petrel a small gunboat constructed at Baltimore boat now being Baliore The total amount of payment would have been 24700 made up of 18000 on account of the hull and 0700 on account of the machinery but a reservation of 10 per cent is held back until the vessel is accepted and in addition penalties have been deducted i ll fiOe d ducted for the delay in construction beyond the contract time which taken together reduced the amount of the iiiuth payment to 1030 The contractors have applied for an extension ex-tension of the contract time which if allowed will in effect wipe out or reduce the penalties Action upon the application is likely to be taken in a day or two The contractors havepleaded in extenuation of their delay a loss of time on account of the steel deliveries which was caused by the action of the government inspectors Secretary retary Tracy is considering the entire en-tire subject of penalties which have accrued not only in the case of the Petrel but upon nearly all of the vessels constructed con-structed or began under the last administration admin-istration He has been furnished with a statement showing the exact condition of each vessel and the probable time required to complete those unfinished He has the action of Secretary Whiner in granting an extension of time to contractors as a precedent and should he disagree with his predecessor as to his power or the advisability advis-ability of adopting a similar course Contractors Con-tractors will doubtless appeal to the next Congress for relief |