The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-23
BIDS ANNULLED
ON COURT HOUSE
Estimate Board Believes Com
petition Was Throttled in
Sc, 100000 Contract.
HYLAN AND CRAIG CLASH
Mayor Favors Stopping All
City improvements to Land
Culprits in Jail.
HYLAN AND CRAIG CLASH

On the ground that the bias were
made under a combination TO prevent
open competition In bidding. the Board
OF Estimate rescinded yesterday all re-
naming contracts for the construction
Of the new court house except that for
foundation work, which is being exc
cuted by Rodgers & Haggerty. The
cancelled contracts amount to approx
mately s6,0o0,000.
The resolution was offered by Mayor
Hylan and received the support of the
board with the exception Of Comp
troller Craig, the boards court house
committee Of one" who sought to
compel postponement and William j.
Flynn, Commissioner OF Public Works
of The Bronx. sitting for Henry
Bruckner, Borough President
The boards action follows the recent
investigation Of the court house con-
tracts by David HirshfieId, Commits
sioner OF Accounts. The contracts re-
voked were:
Hanlein & Son. limestone work, ST.
$4,000; Wells G. Newton. drainage and
plumbing, s16e,03O; Bethlehem Steel
Bridge Corporation. steel framework,
s1,277.o 900; Herman & Grace Company,
superstructure and roofing, $218,300.
The contracts of Dennis Conners of
ssso,000 for brick work and 561 900 for
concrete work were cancelled last week
school Contracts Under Fire.
Mayor Hylan answered Comptroller
Craig's effort to postpone action by the
statement that he has ordered the Com
missioner Of Accounts to investigate tho
school contracts.
'If necessary" said the Mayor, II am
in. favor OF stopping every public i'm
prccstnent in this csty~so as 10 land ~
jail those who arc responsible for the
frauds. hope We can get every one
who s trying to inulct the city"
The Comptroller contended that the
mere fact the Mayor had been informed
there was possible collusion In the bid
ding vas not sufficient reason for the
board to take action.
It. II. La Guardia, President OF the
Board of Aldermen. and Henry H. Cur
ran. President OF the Borough OF Man
haitian. who since the day the bids were
opened have contended that the bids
were high and that the Court House
should not be built now. supported the
resolutions and La Guardia publicly con-
graduated the Mayor.
"Insurance" Against strike.
Leonard NJ. wallstein, counsel for the
Citizens Union and associate counsel
with Samuel Untermyer in the investl-
cation OF the alleged building ring.
lssued statement that the Brindell
coterie accused OF accepting a $4,000
bribe for tho settlement of building
strike. undertook to guarantee to the
Board of Estimate that there would be
no labor troubles I'm connection with
the construction OF the court house.
This guarantee. he continued. was
upon the provision that the structure
be OF limestone instead of granite. The
only bidder for limestone construction
was Henry Hanlein. who has been re-
vealed as one of John r. Hettrick's
so-called clients. The rough plumbing
contract had been awarded to the Wells
g. Newton Company. also disclosed as
one OF Hettrick's so-called clients
I'm the light OF what has since been
revealed II is not surprising that the
Brindell coterie felt justified In giving
every assurance that IL the contracts
were awarded 20 HettricKs clients
labor troubles would be avoided