The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-30
For the Good of
 the Community

DEOPLE have been wondering why building activities in Birmingham have not been on larger scale during the last year. With hundreds of families wanting and denied homes because there are none to be had it has been surprising that men with money have not built more houses.
 Perhaps they have been looking for too large a return on their investment In some instances this is probably the real cause. Rental values on dwellings and apartments erected before the World War would indicate that the owners are taking advantage of high prices in every thing else to boost rents to the highest possible level.
 Apartments that rented at $40 to S50a month year and half ago are now be- ing held at from S80 to S135 a month On ! it's face that looks to be unreasonable.
 But one of the greatest drawbacks to new construction work is the excessive demands of certain labor crafts, and their tactics in keeping other workmen of their craft out of the city.
 At hearing recently held by represen- tatives of the civic bodies of the city mem bers of the journeymen plumbers union testified that for twenty years they had not been permitted apprentices in the local field. This, they said, was done for tha purpose of keeping down the number of plumbers and thereby keeping up the prices of wages.
 They have been getting S10 a day for eight hours work for year or more. They are now demanding SIP for the same, or less work As a matter of fact the eight hours for which they demand SIP is about three or four times the number of hours they actually work. on the job.
 It is now, and for several years has been, the custom to charge the property owner full time from the minute the plumber leaves the shop until he returns and reports the job complete, or quits work for the day. In most if not all in- stances, the first thing the plumber does when he is assigned to piece of work is to make trip to the property to see what has to be done and what material must be used, although this information may have been given at the time the work was ordered
 When he has spent some time in going to the property and more time looking over the prem ises and ascertaining the trouble, he then goes back to the shop, gets his material and returns to the house, where he works, probably, 30 minutes, and then takes his own time about reporting back at the shop The result is that the property owner pays about 30 cents for material and S5 or $6 for labor, which is performed in half an hour or less.
 Several instances have been reported recently where a small leak, repaired by the replacement of thirty inches or less of pipe and 15 20 min utes of work, cost property owner from ST to $15.
 It also developed from the testimony of journeymen plumbers at the hearing that plumb ing put in by non-union men had been torn out or otherwise damaged by members of the union.
 This is an ntolerable situation. It is hardly con- ceivabe that in civilized community such prac- tices could exist, yet at least one of the union plumbers stated it to be fact.
 The civic bodies have the report of their spe- cial committee before them. Representing, as they do, practically all the business interests of X the city, s up to them to take some action that will put stop to the destruction of property by lot of men who, by their own confessions, practice ohotorr of %1