Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-11-05

Describe
~Pss Pssa '''s 's,,slu s. 'f''
Newll ork Contractors Testify
To Paying Large Sums for
Privilege of Securing and
Working Jobs.
Forced to Come Across
Forced to Come Across

BY The Associated Press.
New York, Nov. 4.-More mouse.
wreoking and building contractor:
appeared at today's hearing OF tho
joint executive committee inyesti-
eating the building trust" and testi'
fled to the payment of more than
$ll 900 to Robert ?. Brindell, presi'
dent of the building trades council
and his walking delegates, for the
privilege of getting jobs and using
union men on the work.
Nearly all OF the witnesses told
the committee if they had not PAID
Brindell or his associates certain
sums when demanded they would
have been put out of the business
bv strikes and labor trouble.
When the bearing adjourned un-
til tomorrow, Albert Volk, a build
ing contractor who had already tes'
titled to the payment of ST. 500 tc
Brndcll, was still on the witness
stand and had several Cancelled
checks in his hands for eXplana-
ton.
Paid for Jobs.
Louis Cohen, house -Wrecker
made the first revelation of the day
when he testified to paying Brindell
$4,000 in sums ranging from $3.50 to
$4,000, for the privilege of getting
contracts and working them with
the councils men. He was followed
by Israel S. Goldstein, another
ouse-wrecker, who said he had paid
Brindell 5000 a job, of which amount
SIS was in check. The check, ell
dorsed by Brindell, was placed in
evidence.
The first direct testimony relating
to the payment of money to Brin-
dell's walking delegates was given
by Max Minenson, : contractor.
who declared he had paid two busi-
ness agents $1,000 to get work
started on a job. He testified he
understood that they wanted the
money to pay Brindell. =
Work Resumed for $500.
Jacob Kamen,. another builder.
said that when work was stopped
on one of his jobs, he paid a busi-
ness agent $500 and work was start
ed three hours later" Later he
said he gave $50 when the walking
delegate told him he had given the
other money to Brindell, explaining
that "if | didn't give it l wouldn't
get along on the next job"
Besides giving Brindell $4,000 in
cash in various transactions at the
offices of the building trades coun-
Gil, Volk while on the stand. testi-
fled to paying various sums totalling
more than 81 900 to the Brindell or
ganization for Initiation fees and
dues of men in his employe. Checks
for the various amounts, including
one for $67725 personally endorsed
by Brindell and A. J. Olsen, were
introduced as evidence.
Forced to "Come Across"
When asked why he had submit
ted to Brindell's demands, the wit
ness declared he had to come
across" as the labor leader told him
that 1t was up to him to select any
work and the giving of jobs"
He told me-" continued Volk,
that he had licked the builders into
shape and they had to come across,
and that many of them were his
friends
When lie offered Brindell $1,000
for getting him a $4,000 Stock ex-
change wrecking job, Volk said
Brindell told him he was no "piker," )"
and walked away. Several days later,
he said, he returned to the labor
chiefs office and pleaded with him
to take my $2,0O0," and when Brin-
dell was sending me out of his Of
tice | finally said, Bob, I'll make
it $780,"
When he told Brindel1 he didn't
have the money with him, the wit
ness said, the labor chief wanted to
know what you want to come
around here for without it." Volk
said, however, he soon got the cash
and Brindell accepted it.
Contractor on Stand.
One of the sensations OF the day
was the testimony of Henry Han
lein, cut stone contractor, whose ST.
100000 limestone contract on the
New York county court house was
recently rescinded by Mayor Hylan
He testified that eight other con-
tractors had been associated with
him in the agreement with the coun-
ty, which he said had been en-
gineered by John T. Hettrick, a law
yer, whose offices were recently
raided by the committee for evidence
relating to the code by which con-
tracts are alleged to have been put
through central clearing house,
Hanlein admitted that the contract
p-;ce could have been reduced $40,
900 or $4,000 had it not included 4
rake off" of 81 per cent on the
total amount Of the contract. OF
which ss per cent was to go to Het-
.';ck. }s per cent to Mr.. Hutchin
son, a cut stone expert, u per cent
to the Greater Stone association and
2 per cent to the Code OF Practice"
insurance fund.