The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-09
BUILDING LEAGUES THAT PREY
TBEODORE ST1RRETT CITES A
FED MORE INSTANCES.


Theodore Starrett Of tho Thompson.
S-arrett Company said Yesterday that tht
alleged conspiracy between the Mason Build.
era AssoGat ion here and the local unions
orbricklayers to prohibit the manufacturers
nf hollow tile freproohng material from
Kidding on contracts, thus enabling the
mason builders TO install all the freprooi
work and greatly TO increase the cost OF
largo buildings in New York. is merely a
detail Of a general conspiracy between
employing builders and trades unions
which has robbed owners who put up build
inesln this CITY, One result of 1t, Mr. Star
rai sid az told in THE sun yesterday, is
that This form of fireproofing IL often set
aside for concrete and the tendency seems
10 he all in the direction of the substitution
of concrete even for brickwork and outside
.toncwork in buildings
"Inier the compact between the build
ers ard the trades unions. said Mr.. Star
fott soldering is permitted to such an
atr0ciuus extent IN putting in the hollow
tito fmproohng that the cost is run up TO
figure which IL simply brutal e1tortion,
] ann not surprised that the Bricklayers
International Union il going to take the
natter mp tomorrow. As | have repeat
eds said. the trades union men outside of
Nee York arc not in sympathy with the
chinese Wall methods that prevail here In
New York They want the very best
unce they can get for their labor and they
are perfectly right, but in return they want
TO give the persons who pay il "a square deal
and a good measure OF work performed
Right here ! would like to say word
'ha, MIR Hoggson in his interview in The
SrS this morning has hit the bull seye
no he centre with his plans for doing away
with the dsgDceful conditions which
EXIST in the building industry in New York
Rlt ! dissent from his statement that our
firm has not yet fully grasped the situation
Unfortunately we know the situation only
too well
MIR Hoggson specified an instance Of
COLLISION in bidding in which on s2l 900
ylastering contract sli 900 was divided
between five so-caled competitive bidders,
tho man who was to put in the lowest bid
and The amount of the bid having been all
arranged IN advance. Mr. Hoggson un-
doubtedv could have cited scores OF such
instances Of extortion by conspiracy among
bidders.
Take the Government buildings on Ellis
Island four or five years ago. In that case
$4,000, or 5000 apiece was divided up
between seven alleged competitive bidders,
just as in the case Mr. Hoggson cites. stu
another bidding conspiracy was arranged
un the job of putting in the steam heating
plant at the st. Regis Hotel. but in that case
the game was blocked by an outsider who
put in bid $40 900 lower than the lowest
rug bidder. And even then the outsider
had allowed himself a liberal margin OF
profit. In that case, unfortunately, the
architect used the outsiders bid as club
over the combine, and the combine man
discovered that he had made a mistake
and was permitted to trim down his bid
until he was below the outsider.
Precisely the same thing occurred, 30
FAR as the ring colIusion bid and an outside
bu,ter-ir' We're concerned. in the Duane
Building in Broadway, only in that case
the a. chitec did not apply the same
methods
IT lie only in dun times in the building
1dL try. though. that this whackup plan
Of exit rtion among the Chinese wall ring
bid lon s occurs When the building bust
ness Is brisk the ringsters see the whack-
up method and go it several better. In
case number OF big jobs are in sight,
enough to 20 around in the ring, the China
men get together and each has his job
allotted 10 him. He il guaranteed that in
that field every competitor will be above
him Then he soaks the owner up TO tho
very last minute and pockets all the swag
himself without any whack-up, because
each Of the other competitors has got his
own particular victim down and is busy
going through him for all the valuables
We can find in his clothes.
But the owner who Ia an Individual
gets of easy with the pillaging bandtti,
compared WIN the corporate OWutIs lllfH
Won have the real thing in the way OF looting.
Won have 10 count on the corporation Of
fetal who needs fodder. One of the largest
buildings IN New York was put up by
corporation which had high-up officer
who was afflicted with that gone sort OF
feeling. One of the things he needed to
support him, am told. was a fine house IN
the country. He got il. But he still felt
sort Of faint like. He had sunk good deal
Of money in a company engaged in pro-
ducing an article used in the building busi-
ness 50 he and "A building contractor
had a heart 10 heart talk The contractor
diagnosed the corporation officials case
AMI ihougit he could relieve him.
The contractor got the job of putting
up the building Ten thousand units OF
the building commodity which the corpora
uIu official had invested money in pro-
dlc.ug would have been a superabundance
lor the erection Of the corporation building
Tho contractor IN his free handed way,
bought $4,000 units Of the commodity and
bought OF the officials own company.
bceur- that. he paid 50 cents more per
Unit for the commodity than IL could have
been bought for, and actually was bought
Tor. 30 the open market at that time.
90 NOT know positively about the
country residence incident to this little
Transaction, but | do know of the $1,000
unIj matter, Tor was in the mark ct my
self buying that particular commodity
paid - cents per unit less for the article
tan did the contractor who had the job
Of putting up the building.
Aud as 10 the country residence, ! do
know that enough money was practically
stolen IN the putting up of that big build
lng 10 equip every officer in the company
WITH country estate.
W EI0ggsen tells the exact fact when he
eay- that the owner who starts out TO build
IN New York under the Chinese combine con-
ctons j. delivered over into the hands
OF his enemies. He has not a single friend |
among the whole outfit with whom he is
a. deal
Mr. hogE-on is right again when he says |
mat the architect j. too impractical to 1
handle the actual building work. We will /
Keep right on drifting back into barbnrisn !
IN the matter Of biilding uuui the architect /
cea-es 10 have control of the actual con- /
Nru1ti0u work
Many architects are convinced that the !
time j, no, far distant when the architects !
OhD' viii boz simply studio, where as an |
artist hn viii do the artistic work in the /
u"lgnng OF buildings and will do that /
alone That II the modern architects Z
True field Construction work is not his /
geld \ large share Of the possibilities /
Tor p.undering in the building business /
are t1ceahle directly TO the supervision .
exercised toy architects in field Of work /
Tor which they are not equipped and IN I
which they are a. babes in the hands of /
I