New-York tribune., 1920-11-30

Island pier contracts, but that there
was no arrangement among the con-
tractors in the association as to the
manner of submitting bids. Some of
the new pier contracts we're let to
other firms. The witness said that
he had no arrangement whatever with
anybody with respect to the amount
of his bid
Mr.. Tench testified that his firm made
two payments, one Of $4,000 and one of
$4,000, to Robert Brindell, indicted
head of the Building Trades Council, in
pier contracts The witness said that
he objected strongly at first to paying
Brindell anything, but after talking it
over with his partners they decided it
would be better to have Brindell with
them than against them. He said
they knew Brindell's power, as he had
settled other lab Dor troubles. and that
they thought it would be very much
more expensive if they went into
labor tight in the beginning of their
work than if they paid Brindell the
money and prevented a strike. The
witness admitted, however, that there
was no labor trouble or strikes antici-
pated at the time. Mr.. Tench said
that he did not know Brindell person
ally and that the money was paid to
him in cash by Mr.. Sherwin of his
firm.
On the examination OF Superinten-
dent Snyder, it was brought out that
there was ia great similarity in the
names of the contractors who had bid
On the twenty-seven contracts for new
schools let during the past two years
II was shown that in almost every in
CT q rT
so per cent in excess of the estimated
cost submitted to the Board Of Esti-
mate by the Board OF Education The
witness could make no explanation
satisfactory to Mr.. Carswell as to why
these misleading estimates had been
given to the Board of Estimate, which
was supposed to be guided by them
in making appropriations for school
purposes.
Superintendent Snyder testified that
some of the new school contracts were
coupled and the contract Tor two
schools let to one contractor. He said
contracts larger and get more respon-
sible contractors to bid. 1t appeared,
however, from the records that the
same group Of contractors bid on the
double contracts, who had obtained
most of the single contracts.
Taking up three contracts that were
let, where two schools had been coupled
in each contract. Mr. Carswel showed
that the 7. A. Clar rke Company, P. J.
Brennan g. Son and the Nugent Con
st1uction Company, after each had bid
on all three contracts. had received one
contract apiece. Mr.. Carswell wanted
to know if such a situation suggested
anything significant to Snyder's mind.
Mr. Snyder replied that it would sug
gest that the scheme Of letting two
contracts together did not work out
we'll. He said they went back to the
letting Of single contracts.
Clarke Got Five Contracts
Thomas A. Clarke. of the 7. A. Clarke
Company, said his firm had bid twenty
nine times on school construction work
and had been successful five times. Tie
testified that mis- concern did not be-
long to any building trades associ
alton. He said that his concern did
aCout SO or 70 per cent of the work on
u contract and that the other " ui AZ
per cent was let to sub-contractors.
Mr.. Clarke was questioned concern
ton Of School 6l, in the Bronx, where
he was the lone bidder, and Of his sub
sequent bid of s873735, a reduction of
about S5O,OO0 when the Nds were re-
advertised and resubmitted. He ex-
pla ned tna' he knew . nc was tns
solitary bidder the original bid would
lie rejected, and he added the $4,000
in order not to divulge his regular bid
to his competitors.
He denied that ne ever had paid any
thing to Brindell or any other labor
leader or that he had ever shared any
of his profits with his competitors. he
consented To an examination OF his
books by accountants for the city. He
said that he did not know John T..
Hettrick.
William j. Hanna, Of the Frimier &
Hanna Company. engaged .prlnclpaIiy
in school construction work, testified
that he had obtained three school con-
tracts out of seven he had bid for. The
witness was unable to give deVails T.
regard to some of his cNntracts, De
clarinc that Comptroller Craig had ali
his napers and had not returned them.
The witness said that he was mem
ber of the Mason Builders Assoclatloh
which also made him member OF the
Building Trades Employers Associa-
tion He testified that he pald INTO
the latter organization one-tenth OF
ner cent of the gross business " ms
romrany. and 500 a year into the
Mason Builders Association. Mr
Hanna testified that his hfm mao no a.
rangement with other members OF tne
i}ui ding Trades Employers Assocl"'
tion in regard to submitting DIGS