The sun., 1919-04-04
ONLY ONE BIDDER
READY TO PAY CITY
Long Offers $437 Weekly for
Trimming Garbage
ScOws.
OTHERS SEEK SUBSIDIES
Good Profit From Salvaged
Materials-UniOn Friendly
to One Contractor.

An interesting situation was presented
yesterday in the Street Cleaning De-
partment, when Arnold b. MacStay,
Commissioner, opened bids for trimming
scows, the work OF loading the city's re-
fuse onto barges so that 1t may be
towed to sea. A good proft always has
been made by the contractors on this
work. because of the rags, paper and
bones picked out and sold.
But of the five bids opened yesterday
only one offered to pay the city anything
for the privilege. The others all wanted
a subsidy by the city, and there was APP
parently a good deal OF chagrin among
the experienced bidders when one Of the
men. now a sub-contractor, actually Of
fered to give the city S437.45 a week II
he In awarded the contract. He said af-
terward that IL he got It on that basis
ne would make good deal of money.
Cooperation with-Inion.
There was revealed then by inquiry
that with the exception of one man,
whoever holds this contract seems to
challenge Ill fortune. There Is one fail
ure and forfeited deposit. not to speak
OF minor misfortunes recorded In the
last few years. Commissioner MacStay
admits that there seems to be powerful
cooperation between one contractor and
the union." cooperation which has
forced less powerful or unwilling bid
ders from the field.
The factors which apparently domi-
nate the situation are the close relations
betewen Paul Vaccarelli. president Of
the Scow Trimmers Union. and Joseph
Marrone. who held the contract for two
years. Vaccarelli himself was an un-
successful bidder for the contract yester-
day. In partnership with John Fiola
The trouble started about two years
ago when Clark & Co. did the trimming
under contract by which they paid
the city $1,4o0 a week. They employed
union labor--about 400 men are engaged
an this work-and had an eight hour day
with time and a half for overtime. They
Ead not been running the contract long
when a union OF foremen on the docks
suddenly appeared, under which the
foremen were required to pay a fee of
&25 month. The subcontractors under
Clark all quit because Of this exaction.
ana the union men were called Off the
scows. When Clark attempted to run
the work himself and hired his own
tugs. ne went bankrupt and lost $40. 900,
which he had put up to insure the carry
Ing out Of his contract.
Marrone then got the contract under
an agreement to pay the city s725 q
week. There was an immediate effect
on wages when he took over the work,
and men who had been paid %, 80
and 30 cents an hour under Clark. rot
only 17h. 22h and rs cents under Mar
rome. which made a difference Of about
$3.50 day to the contractor. When Mar
rone's contract was about to expire at
the end OF last year, bids again were
asked FOR the work, and II happened
mat WAGES then also went back to the
old standard.
Asked for $4,000 weekly.
OPP to that time the city always had
been paid for the work, and Il never
was expected that the contracts would
be let under any other condition, but
Marrone altered his contract so as to
ask the city to pay him $4,000 a week.
A man named Michael Santangeio Of
Tered to pay the city s425.75 and was
awarded the contract, but when he began
work January I OF this year waRes
jumped to 40. 80 and so cents an hour.
He saw that he couldn't carry out his
contract under these conditions and for
1eited his deposit of $1,000.
The situation was 80 chaotic then that
tne city decided to do the scow trim
ming work for while and did so dur.
in8 january at cost OF $32. 900. It was
seen that this was prohibitive and so
new bids were asked for but only
Santangelo and Marrone put in bids,
Marrone offered to do the work II the
city would pay him $4,000 a week, and
Santangelo, also coming around to this
point OF view. offered to do 1t for $1,24O.
Commissioner MacStay declared the bids
INFORMAL, because the specifications were
mat the city should be paid money. not
pay II out, but in the interim, in order
that the work might not stop, he awarded
the contract to Santangelo on a day to
day basis. to be terminated on two days
notice. the city to pay him s1.44O a
week.
Santangelo handled it through Febru-
airy and a part OF March. In February
the union which had put ClaSk out of
business. the foremen of Scow Trimmers
. Union. OF which Paul Vaccarelli is also
president. appeared again, and each fore-
man on dump was made to pay $25,
saS. $3.50, $3.50, or some other sum a
month.
One man. Joseph Tito, who worked
on the dump at West 134th street, was
approached by Nicholas Vaccarelli,
brother OF Paul, who wanted to know
where his card OF membership In the
foremen's union was. Tito had never
heard of the union, having been out of
puSlTtoS uuTtnB \ldTk tlInc, ana Wnen
he did not pay $25 he was told he could
not command men, and Nicholas Vac
carelli appointed another foreman In his
place. Then Tito paid.
Strike Ordered by vaccareIli.
One of the curious things which oc-
CURED during this time was a strike
ordered by Vaccarelli because the city
had not paid the men for their work
during January, although In February,
at the time of the strike. the men were
working for Santangelo. They went out
for three days and then Santangelo and
his sub-contractors had to pay them for
the three days. .,
Santnngelo's contract with the city was
cancelled late In March and It was given
to Marrone for 500 less than Santangelo
had done the work. which Commissioner
Macstay pointed out was perfectly proper
as II saved money for the city, but
Santangelo maintains that he never was
notified of Marrones offer or given a
chance TO meet It, He made this state
nent in a petition to Gov. Smith, which
waa given to Grover Whalen. secetary to
Mayor Hylan. Commissioner MacStay
-al.