New-York tribune., 1920-10-21

tney are not plank cafoS IN the QueS-
tions you are going to answer"
"oh.' said Hettrick, "the only rea-
son am asking is this My mail has
been robbed down at the office and if
you arc using any of those cards from
that robbed maa. it is my duty to warn
you in reference to that"
Let me say this to you, Mr.. Hettr;ck,"
responded Mr.. Untermyer, "if you are
not engaged in an illegitimate business
you have nothing to fear. 1 don't
know how these cards were got, but |
think you will agree with me they
are very significant. won't you, and
very interesting? Especially on the
question of attorney and elcat?"
"Yes sir" came the answer
Story of the Colorcl Cards
Then followed series of questions
that brought out the following facts
The cards in question were of various
coiors, two colors being used for each
trade. On these cards. the clients of
Mr.. Hettrick were identified solely by
number and no names appeared upon
them
de admitted that when job was to
be contracted for, as in the case of the
plumbers, the contractors advised him
tHettrick) by mailing one Of the green
cards. He replied by mailing back
pink card. Before submitting bids a
copy of the proposed bid was forwarded
to Hettrick, who advised his clients.
Now, suppose these men bid for a
plumbing Job, and they send down to
You and you send back cards, you do
not get any plans or specifications. How
can you know what amount of plumb
ing work is involved in that" he was
asked.
"If five men bid s25 900 and one man
comes in with $4,000 or $4,000, it puts
me on guard"
Q.-As against the $4,000 man? A.
As against him, yes.
Q.-ls it the purpose OF your asso-
citation to stop undertaking? A.-Not
to stop undertaking, but to sop any
mistake.
Q.-And underbidding is a mistake
A.--No, sir, many times it is not mis-
take: Oftentimes they would take
specifications and eliminate pages from
specifications and give one contractor
the job am going to hand you this
job, and they give him big set of
specifications
Q.-It is to protect your clients
against the rapacious, deceitful people
A.-Ihank you. Very much accurately
stated.
Mr.. Hettrick admitted in general
terms that the plumbers of the Master
Plumbers Association who were his
cllents, had done business in the
neIghborhood of S4.oo0ooo last year,
and that he received l per cent
Further severe questioning brought
from him the admission that all the
trades operating under the Code of
Practice paid another 3 per cent Of
gross earnings into what he termed an
insurance again the hundred evils that
beset their business. He further ad
mltted this fund had been distributed
among the members, but could not re-
member how many times. He thought
the last time it was in the neIghbor-
hood Of $4,000. He stated this ar
rangemcnt had saved several fins from
bankruptcy during the war.
To Identify Firms
Coming back to the different colored
cards, Mr.. untermycr asked The wit
ness:
Did you number them because YOU
knew 1T was an unlawful scheme to
throttle competition and protect YOUR
self against detection ?"
II resent the imputation" tho Wit
ness replied
He was then asked what firms the
numbers referred to, and finally agreed
to produce them to-day During this
part OF the examination Mr.. Untermyer
asked him if he knew the numbers Of
the following firms j S. Murphy Com
pany, and if that companys number
vas 8; Eugene Detlauer, Fallin & Nc
Nail and John E. Wild, but the witness
replied he did not remember them.
AT this point Mr.. Untermyer began
to bring out testimony on the alleged
uptown clearing house for the bidding
system.
1t developed that the office of the
Code of Practice of the limestone CON
tractors had been moved from Het-
tricks office in the Singer Building to
an office which he finally designated as
1865 West Thirty-tirst Street, after
Nguely referring to it as being in the
Thirties.
He stated that he had never been in
the Office, but that Miss AMMAN was
in charge of it and that he had onlv
met her once in his lifetime He said
that he had not initiated her into the
wo. ines of the code. He said her sal
ary was paid by the Greater New York
Gut Stone Contractors Association and
that he got ! per cent fee on all the
work OF his clients in the association
Mr.. Hettrck was very particular
throughout his testimony to emphasize
the fact that the members of the asso-
Citations were individual clients. He
also admitted that copies of reports 60
both to his Office and that of Miss
Amman.
Hettrick was finally excused for the
day, after he had promised to bring
down copies of the code of practice for
all three bodies OF contractors.
During the period that Robert p
Brindell was on the stand, Mr.. Inter
myer elected the fact that the build
Ing at II st. Marks Place, in which the
Building Trades Council and other la
Dor unions meet, was owned bv his
wife and had been turned over to her
by himself. Mr. Untermyer also tried
to draw a similar admission concern
ING summer house at Lake George.
but the witness refused to answer.
May Prosecute as a Trust -''--
Concerning the so cents per capita a
month that Brindel draws from the
Dock builders Union as business man
ager, Mr.. Untermyer said: From this
single union you make over $50 900 a
year, don't you?" But the witness re
fused to answer
Brindell had hard fight with Inter
myer when the latter began to question
him about his early life. "Is this a
nearing on the housing question or an
1nquisition into me personally?" ?" he de-
manded
The hearing was adjourned until 10
O'Clock this morning, when the exam
lnatlon of Hettrick will be continued.
1t was stated that if the evidence
produced warrants II oct;or will ko