The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-19
DAY AND HIRSHFIELD'
GRIN AS RIFT GROWS
Hearing Brings More Tiffs
Between Investigated and
Investigator.
''wON'T QUIT" EACH SAYS
Seller of S250,O00 Stock in
Cooperative Concerns Was
to Get $4,000.


a. the inquiry into the Henry M. Ben
nett charges against the Rev. DR.. Jon
athan c. Day. Commissioner Of Public
Markets. slowly jogs along before David
Hirshneld. Commissioner Of Accounts,
that these two members OF the Mayors
oficiai family do not love each other.
Chips continue to teeter on the shoulders
of the Investigator and the Investigated.
but both manage to keep on grinning. and
smiling at each other across a paper
Uttered table.
II was reported yesterday that rela-
tions were so terribly strained that one
or the other or both the officials might
become an lex"
When asked yesterday II he intended
to resign. Dr. bay replied mot on your
life I" And he said It in way that In
dicated he meant IL.
The same question was put TO Mr..
FIirshheld, and his reply was equally en-
phatic,
The hearing yesterday was devoted to
the why's and wherefores Of the Plaza
Community Club, cooperative cor
poration of which DR.. Day Is pres
ident. It was the raid by the Com
missioner Of Accounts on the ''headquar-
ters' OF the Plaza Community Club at
the greensboro Bridge Market and Mr..
Hirshfield's report of the matter to the
Mayor, without giving DR.. Day any
chance to explain. that started all the
fuss This proceeding. which happened
last year, irritated DR.. Day to such an
extent that he wrote letter to Mayor
Hylan declaring Mr.. Hirshheld was bru
tally insulting and as mean as he can
i be-"
"Good Thing" Didn't Pan Out.
Basil G. Eaves, secretary OF the Ma
tional tuberculosis Association. the man
who contracted to sell stock of the
Plaza Community Club and its whole
sailing adjunct, the Mutual Finance Ex-
change and Marketing Association. pic
tured as a witness a good thing for Mr.
Eaves that didn't pan out. Incidentally
Mr.. Eaves wrote the prospectus for the
corporation. one OF the documents Com
missioner Hirschfield grabbed in his
celebrated raid. The corporation was to
establish and operate string Of retail
foodstuff stores
Shares of stock were scheduled to be
sold (and between $500 and 800 worth
! actually was sold) at SECS a share. Mr..
Eaves said S1.25 OF each 1926 was to
be his fee for selling. There were to be
10000 shares and a minimum OF per
cent. was to be guaranteed in dividends.
Further profits in the business were to
be shared by the stockholders. The
whole plan, according to Mr. Eaves. was
based on a desire to reduce the cost OF
s food by means of the stores in which
: stockholders and non-stoclt holding Gus
toners would pay the prevailing market
: prices.
When first he had started out to sell
3 stock, Mr. Eaves said he told prospects
: that DR.. Day had accepted the pres-
: dency OF the cooperative store corpora
4 tion, and that they expected to be able
4 TO open up a model market at the city
! market under the Greensboro Bridge.
He said Dr. Day never told him the city
market could be used. and later when
\ he tried to make sales he did not hold
= out the model market idea for the rea-
Z ron that the project had been aban-
doned. Business meetings were held in
the market at various times until the
place was closed by DR.. Day, he said.
: Or. Days powers as Market ComUis-
siOner to buy food for resale TO the city
terminated two days before the club was
Incorporated.
Mr. Eaves said DR.. Days check for
Z SIPS worth of stock and checks OF other
!. subscribers were withheld from deposits
Tor time to exhibit them to pros
: pective buyers He declared the officers
Of the club were to receive no compen-
i sation.
Eaves's Interest in stock Only.
Mr. Eaves said his only interest In
the enterprise was to sell stock
Ex-senator Bennett, who was much
; Interested In che stock selling pro-
eramme. Contended that admissions
/. which he got from the witness on cross
examination meant that Mr.. Eaves not
4 only expected TO collect 325, 900 for sell
! ing $4,000 of stock OF the Plaza Com
munity Club. but he hoped TO collect
sl.25 for each OF 10000 shares of Mu-
tual. the proposed wholesale concern to
be bought by the Plaza.
This meant $4,000 for taking in
$3.50 900" Mr.. Bennett said
Meyer Goldman, DR.. Days counsel
got a little ruffied over Mr.. Eaves's ad.
mission that he had two talks about
v the case with Commissioner Hirshheld
during the day.
What did you tell him" asked Mr.
: Goldman.
What did ! tell you, Commissioner p
Mr.. Eaves retorted. addressing Mr.
Hrshield, and everybody laughed.
II really cant remember everything
. the witness continued. He asked me
several random questions regarding the
Plaza Club, my connection with II and
II ~ as Icaiig OuI intention 10 open
market under the Queens boro Bridge
I talked with him this morning in one
= OF the Offices across the way and out ir
the hall this noon. ! didn't volunteer e
: talk this afternoon but l did this morn.
= ing. l wanted to clear myself from hii
unfair imputations in his report 20 tn,
Mayor about the Plaza Club"
Ben Howe OF $50 West End avenue
secretary OF the Labor and Industrial
Relations OF the Community Council OF
. Defence and purchasing agent OF tn,
city OF Louisville, Ky, before he cam,
TO New York full OF the cooperativ,
/. idea after fourteen years OF study ga Il
; DR. Day had told the directors OF thu
Plaza Community Club that the city
could not let the club have space at tn,
. Greensboro Bridge Market. Everybody
knew, he said. that as DIR. Day was
city official II would be- impossible fol
him to involve the city In such trans
actions
Letter From Day Read.
At the morning session. with DR. Day
on the stand. a letter from DR.. Day re
: garding Commissioner Hirshfield's ac
. tivities against the Plaza Club was in
troduced- DR., Day wrote that he had &C,
cepted the presidency OF the club. but
never intended to use public markets
for such purposes He was sure Com.
: missioner Hirshheld had violated the
= city charter and said that the club
= directors who had been insulted woulC