Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-13
LOST in A HAZE
Complications and Figures in the
Wage Question.
PAYING 4 BIG COMMISSION
The Union Building Furniture and
',.'. What It Cost. -.
MR.. RIE B U S EXPLAINS

- The haziness. surrounding the transac-
lions between Public Printer Benedict.
Architect Friebus, Contractor Basin and
I score or more of carpenters in the mat
ter of fitting up the branch printing office
and bindery in the Union building thickens.
Mr.. Benedict explained it yesterday, and
it was mystery. Mr.. Friebus explained it
today and it is mystery. The statement
of the case as The Star understands 1t is
that when it became necessary to transfer
part of the force from the government
printing office to other quarters, the hfth
floor of the Union building was rented tor
the use of the specifications force. 1t be-
came necessary to fit this floor with bench
es and tables Cubs, in technical parlancel
for the use of the sookbinders. rms mad
to be done in haste Public Printer Ben
edict sent for Architect Friebus, who Is a
personal friend of his, and told him to
have the work done in the best quickest
and cheapest manner possible. Inc pupnG
printer asked Mr.. Friebus what was usual
in similar cases.
The. architect told him that he could
either have the work done by allowing tho
contractor 10 Ter centum on the total cost
of labor and material, or he could allow the
contractor SO much profit per man per day
on the whole number of men employed on
the work.
ne ldctS mere Sldt6O NC lhoSc opooS
which there is no question.
Public Printer Benedict says that ne
chose to allow SO much per man per day, as
being a more economical plan than the al
lowance of 10 per cent on the aggregate
cost of the work. He agreed with Archi-
tect Friebus to pay s.. 80 per day per man,
with the exception Of one or two laborers,
on the understanding that Mr.. Friebus was
to get 80 cents per day on each man, be-
cause union wages on nine hours work
would be So. Mr. Benedict thought that as
he was paying s.. so per day the men were
receiving 81. Mr.. Benedict told The Star
reporter that Mr.. FriebuS told him that the
men had been paid So. He was positive
that the workmen had received that
amount. He would not believe to the con-
trary.
Series of Contradictions.
On Tuesday Mr.. Friebus told The Star
reporter that the men had been paid off at
the rate Of $3.50 per day. Today Mr.. Frie-
bus declared that the reporter misunder-
stood him, and furthermore declared that
he did not know at what rate per day the
men had been paid. a-:,
Mr.. Benedict says Mr.. Friebus said the
meA were paid s.. Mr.. Samuel Rabbit,
one of the workmen, says that Mr.. Frie-
bus stated in the presence of himself and
Mr.. Benedct's iprivate secretary. Mr..
Baker, that dVerS man should be paid So.
Mr.. Friebus Apntradicts Mr.. Rabbit, and
should be paid So
Mr.. Friebus admits that his requisition
on the goverruosnt was based on compu-
tation of S3.5f, per day per man. and Mr.
Benedict admits that this is what he al
lowed.
Benjamin Klrtz, Robert Knowles. John
Laska ard r. II. Webb, who were en-
ployed on the job, will make affidavit that
they were paid on the basis of So 80 per
day. They know, OF many others who were
paid off at the same rate. They know of
two men-Fred.- HarrieS and Miller-who re-
ceived more. Thus there Is a series of
contradictions.
Architect Friebla, when he had arranged
with Mr. Bereisct to have the work done,
transferred it, in nleSsure, TO Mr.. Basin.
All the parties at interest refer to this
gentleman the contractor, but there was
contract in connection with the bust
ness. Some of the workmen state that
Mr.. Basin was paid 50 per day as super
intendent, but Mr.. Friebus says this is
not 50. and that Mr.. Basin was to. get
his reward by charging the government
So. so per day and hiring the men at what
clares that there was no understanding
with the public printer that S. per day
was to be paid, and denied that he had
told Mr. Benedict that the men had been
paid So per day.
Wandering Dollars.
Mr.. F'riebus insisted that Mr.. Basin had
made on the five weeks work a profit Of
only dDOut IL uIS"
froun the publie printer $3.50 per day, and
there was a total of 791 days of work, and
Mr.. Basin paid the men $3.50 per day.
somebody made 81 head, or sIo1 On that
piece of work Mr. Friebus declares that
Mr.. Basin did not make 1t; Mr.. Friebus
will make affidavit that he did not get it,
and the public printer says that the gov
eminent has not made anything off the
jca. Therefore several hundreds OF dollars
are wandering Iound somewh ere. These
figures are not exact, because at least a
few of the men were paid full wages, and
the laborers got not so much as the car
penters.
Mr.. Friebus says that he has not been
paid one cent yet, but will send a bill
to the public printer for $3.50 for his serv-
ices as architect. ,..rs. .r
Mr.. Friebus told Star reporter that the
|, total cost of the work, materials and labor.
was about $4,000. This was approx
| mate calculation. Adding the bill of Ar
chitact Friebus, $3.50, to the $I91 paid by
the, public printer; which did not reach the
workmen, gives S941, or very close to one
fourth of the total cost of the work. MIR.
Benedict did not allow 10 per cent on the
whole cost, because this would have been
too much compensation, and yet the fig
ures prove that he has paid close upon
% per cent in order to have $4,000 of work
supervised.
In the face of these facts. both Mr.. Erie
bus and Mr.. Benedict have been trying
to persuade the reporter that he has got
things badly mixed"
Another peculiar feature about the trans
action is that this work consisted of max
ing tables for bookbinders to work OH.
These tables are made out of lumber and
have been made by carpenters, only one
cabinet maker having been employed.
To see that these tables were made, there
were an architect, a Superintendent and a
foreman. The men declare that the de-
signs for the tables were drawn by the
| foreman The standard compensation for
an architect Is per cent, when he both
designs and superintends, and per cent
if he does only. one or the other. 1t looks
from the iRuresI as though Mr.. Benedict
| has paid % per icent to have the work de-
signed and supefdntended.
.'''-.' HfeTrson"l Matter. "'
AIR. Friebus, iafthe interview today, gave
his statemenc ofnthe case in exactly these
words: "Mr. Benedict sent for me and told
me what he wanted done. He asked me
to get up 'piahs and specifications. and
said that TIE Work was to be done as
quickly as pSssf5le. 1 wrote Mr. Benedict
a letter statng7ithat it could be done in
two ways: to- pure the job in the hands of d
contractor on total cost of labor and ma
tcrial, or to- give him $3.50 per day per
man. Mr.. BENEDICT elected to do the lat
ter, so l seat for Mr.. Basin, as he had
done satisfactory work for Mr.. Benedict
and myself before. From the number of
tables L was told to build l thought the
work could lie done in two weeks and Mr.