The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-25
Master BricklayerS and Car
penters Com bine Against
Each Other.
MEN BROUGHT FROM DENVER.
In the Fight Against the New Sys-
tenn Henry Rolling Imports
BriCklayerS.

tenn OF contracting on buildings IN San
Francisco is seriously involved. The car
penters want everything one way, while
contracting bricklayers are equally positive
that their method shall prevail, and herein
there is a clash of two important bodies of
builders, which has taken the smaller men
and those in other lines of the building
trades with complete surprise.
AS to how the people who are about to
build houses may fare in the present crisis
is rather difficult question to answer, for
the contractors themselves decline to dis
cuss that view of the subject, although one
man, plasterer, remarked yesterday that
between two stools you come to the
ground" and that is exactly the position
now occupied by the public with regard to
building.
The man who wishes to put up house
may be troubled either with very annoy
ing delays or multiplicity of contracts,
which will all be separate and distinct, and
then find himself without one general su-
perintendent for his work, as each con-
tractor will confine himself to his own line
regardless of how it may affect the other
fellows. To be sure the architect is there
to look after construction, but his visits
are usually so few and far between that
his supervision can really amount to little
or nothing.
There is one deplorable feature of the
trouble which has hardly yet caught the
attention of organized labor, and that is
the importation of workingmen from cities
beyond California. Already bricklayers
have been brought here from Denver and
put to work. The reason for going so far
from home for men was because contract
ing carpenters and bricklayers could not
agree on one contract. The master brick
layers, in accordance with a resolution re-
Gently adopted by them, refused to make
estimates on this particular work or to no.
tice it in any way because master car
penter had contracted for every detail of
construction. When confronted with this
refusal he sent to Denver for bricklayers
and performed the whole of the work him
self.
But this action was only an earnest of
what the carpenters propose to do in keep
ing up established customs that favor
them. They have, with few exceptions.
signed an agreement binding themselves
not TO figure on contracts of less than
$4,000 which are to be let in more than one
contract. Their part of the preliminary
fight was finished yesterday, and a meet
ing was held III the afternoon at the
Builders Exchange, 16 Post street. The
result was they determined to stand to-
gether for their mutual interests.
The trouble began recently, when the
bricklayers Instituted a reform in local
contracting, so that it would be carried out
on the same plan as in Eastern cities. I'm
I'll the present time 1t has been the custom
In San Francisco for master carpenters to
BID solely on ali buildings, excepting large
structures, and then TO sublet the con-
tracts for brickwork, plastering, plumbing,
painting, etc. In the East each one of
these contracts is let separately to builders
in the respective lines.
But San Francisco has now outgrown
the old-time way of doing business IN
del, the old way the carpenter would figure
and get the contract, and then if he should
fall short-that is, if his bid was lower
than the cost of the job-he had it in his
power to come around to the bricklaver
the painter, the plumber and the plasterer
and pay only pro rata of the contract
price.
1t was this and no more that eventually
led to the disruption. Quite recently the
brickIayers came together very quietly and
adopted resolution not to figure on work
for a carpenter unless the bricklaying con-
tract was under $500. If over that figure
1t was decided that the bricklayers should
deal with the owner or architect. ignoring
the carpenter altogether and as separate
contractor.
The carpenters claim, however, that they
lay out the work on frame buildings and
can get II done quicker and more cheaply,
whereas II each man takes a separate con-
tract he does so at his own time and the
work viii be delayed. Besides, the indie
pendence of contractors is liable to cause
trouble, as when each mans work is COM
pleted he goes away, no matter whether
the different departments agreeexactly or
are in uniform style and dimensions
The first clash came when Henry
Rolling, contracting carpenter of long
standing in this City, got the contract for
building the new synagogue. The brickwork
amounted to $4,000, and Rolling asked the
bricklayers to figure on it. To his aston
lshment not master bricklayer in San
Francisco would notice him or his con-
tract, and his specifications were unopened.
RohIing was told that as he had taken the
whole thing he should suffer, and that the
bricklayers could deal only with the own
ers. This made him angry. He sent at
once to Denver for workmen, who came at
once and laid the bricks, and the result
was Rolling saved considerable money on
the transaction. The brickyards with one
exception-the San Joaquin Company
had formed a combination with the brick
layers, but this did not deter him, and the
work was done with San joaquin bricks.
Should anything happen this brickyard,
however, the daring contractor will in ali
ability find himself in disagreeable
position, since he has put himself on record
as opposed to the comb ination.
Now the carpenters have combined to
meet this opposition. They also held
quiet meeting and adopted resolutions,
and these have been circulated extensively
by William Chatham, master carpenter
at 943 Mariposa street. Chatham did very
well. as over 100 signatures of contracting
carpenters were soon attached to the reso.
luton, and now the compact is complete.
According to this agreement carpenters
are bound not to estimate on work under
$1,000 in total cost unless all its departments
are included in one contract. Should the
owner of the proposed building be a
plumber, brickmason or painter he can do
his own part of the work, but that is the
only exception.
If the contract is over $4,000 and does not
call for freproof structure it must be let
in not more than three parts the other
departments being reserved as additions to
the carpenter work. So the lines of pro-
cedure on both sides are very definitely
defined, and the outcome is a subject for
much speculation among the workingmen
and the small contractors.
Pure baking powders are one of the chief
aids to the cook in preparing perfect and
wholesome food. While those are to be