The sun., 1905-01-04
WHO'S RICH ENOUGH TOBUILD?
SPIRACIES NOW RULE TRADE,
SAYS THEODORE STIRRETT.
Employers Organizations Aim TO KIN
Competition and Use Walking Dele
gates as BouncerS- rS-InGependent FIRMS
Dubbed Plratcs-Trade All at sea.

gntes as nccrS-InGepeudent Firms
Dubbed Plratcs-Trade All at sea.
Theodore Starrctt Of the Thomp SON
Starrett Company, one Of the largest firms
of builders in the city, docs not take very
cheerful view Of tn, outlook for the build
ing industry in New York during the cur
rent year unless certain tendencies IN the
trade. now under pretty good headway'
are checked
1T is the old story over again, said
Mr.. Starrett Yesterday. the old story Of
conspiracy between employing builders
ard building trades unions. TIE SrS hit
the nail suuarely on the head ia an editorial
on Aug. . last Tho editorial was entitled
Who is Rich Enough 10 Buildt and it set
forth in very forcibe language the exact
situation Tha, situation is that he owner
Who undertakes TO build finds himself
between two conspiracies-a conspiracy Of
labor monopolists and a conspiracy of cm-
ployinc builder monopolists Between the
two he is ground 70 very fine powder in
deed.
This condition exists now to even a
worse extent than 1t did when TIRE suns
editorial was written. The same processes
for suppressing all competition are in oper-
alton now that were in operation then, and
that had been in operation for years back.
Il do not undertake 10 say that the Build
ing Trades Employers Association has
entered into conspiracy with the trades
unions for the deliberate purpose Of robblng
owners do not say that this is the object
If all the members Of the Building Trades
Employers Association There are some
a.t.,,.t..I la. ba
under the frm conviction that in 50 CON
spring they are only taking legitimate
measures to protect the business as they
call it. oh. Liberty, what crimes are
committed 10 thy name" was remarked
once upon a time. Oh, protect the busi-
ness, what crimes are committed In thy
namer might very well be said now.
'Weinseimering ia one Of those crimes
'Weinsein1ering' is 1ourishing right at this
minute. il is going on all along the line
in the building industry. To be sure, it Is a
little more timid than it was. The robbing
and extortion which came back on the
owners at last ara not quite so barefaced
and insolent a. they were. But the con-
Gition is right there all the time. All it
wants is the public to get TO thinking about
something else for a time and then it will
be fourishlng as much rs over and the
walking delegate, who Is in reality the
agent. the bounccr, as you might call
him, of the Building Trades Employers
Associations will be lining his pockets with
plunder once more a. trskly a. ever.
The idea of those who make protecting
the business their excuse Tor joining IN
the cons piracy. Is TO head oil al competition
hv keeping out Of New York builders who
l.4r. nrV a
the country. This Is done by an agreement
with the trades unions. Tho Building
Trades Employers Association undertakes
on its part 10 employ nobody but members
Of the unions ihe unions on their part
aqree tO work for nobody who Is not mem
Der Of the BUILDING Trades Employers
Association. And there you are, ali ready
to do business
And what is the method Of doing busi-
ner5y The answer To that question was
given during the Weinseimer trial in the
testimony Of Andrew II. Brown. president
of the Contracting Plumbers Association.
Mr. Brown testified that he wrote a letter
TO Weinscimer tel ing him that the firm
doing the Plumbing work on n certain build
ing was not member OF the Contracting
Plumbers Association and asking him,
Weinseimer u go and see those people
and labor with them And who was Wein-
seimer? The walking delegate OF the
plumbers union.
~In other words under the terms Of the
a AGREEMENT he was the 'bpuncer.' the club
az the employing plumbers 70 knock com
oetitiOn into line. Weinscimer went and
saw those people and they saw bin with
what results We all now know, The em-
nloycrs' organization does not care IN what
manner its houncer makes tho outsIde
connDatitor suffer. IT II Is by tying HIM
M with a strike well and good Ii 1t is
by holding him up and robhing him OF a
lar-e sum Of money by eXtorlon, well
and good again. provided tho e&tortioner
does not get caught with the goods on him.
That might lead 20 an Investigation. 1t
aid in tire Wein+eimer case. and with the
investigation came a turning on ci the
light on the conspiracy methods.
LAnd right here ! want 10 say that Che
one thing these COnspirators cannot stand
is the light They are pretty badly scared
and bewildcred still by the glare Of light that
was turned on their peculiar practice
bv the Parks trial and the Veins inner
trial and the exposure of the dressed build
ing stone combine. What they want Is
darl,ness and silence to do their work in,
The moro publicity there Is about their
doings the worsa 1t II for them,
THAT why / am perfectly free TO do all
this talking right now at this time Unless
the plans now in process OF evolution are
headed of By public intelligence being
itent fully awake, the conspiracy viii get a
grip on the building industry OF New York
Fighter than it ever had before. II Is very
subtle and elusive conspiracy. 1t Is laid
along lines that leave the door open for
very specious statements and denals
But once well established, II has got an
ron grip.
at works through many ramifcations
For instance there is FIRST, the Building
Trndes Employers Association. In that
there are thirty employing organizations
in as many different trades. II you ara
roinr to employ men In any Of the trades
represented by these thirty employers
orranizations. YOU are supposed TO be a
member OF the particular organizations
reDresenting the trades YOU wish TO employ
DIR own firm some time ago had occasion
odo a little snoring TO a building adJaceut
10 where we we're putting up a structure.
We had all experienced mon. capable OF
handling this Snoring work, and We put them
10 work al it, Soon we were notified that
wa must ioin the Employing House Shorers
Association Well We did join. II cost
,ls s30O initiation fee, and the whole job OF
snoring did not amount 10 $500 But We
raye lip the 5000 and then went on and did
the work with our own mon as before. II
wa hadn't some lcdevilment or other would
have been inflicted upon Us. Probably
the emplOver5' association would not have
appeared directly IN it, but II would have
been back Of il.
so 1t l. through all the thirty different
trades that are represented d IN the 9 sub
ordinate employer associations affiliated
with the Building Trades Employers Asso-
rTl., Iron Ia4gIsa unNfhpT O.