The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-09


AVERAGE for the Detroit job was a little
| smaller.
Mr.. Untermyer asked:
Would that make Il more or less
! costlys'
1T would make II more costly"
1T was claimed here that because the
blocks In the new Court House were
about nine feet as against Ave feet
blocks at some other place that that
made the Court House Job more costiy?''
That Is incorrect; just the opposite
TO thst IL true"
Put you are sure that where the
blocks are large and therefore DO not
require so much work In cutting. grind
Ing and setting the price should be less
and MT more per footr'
There 10 no doubt about that The
limestone costs about SO or so cents.
II is he cutting that runs the cost up.
The thinner the stone when you reduce
II TO cubic foot terms the more II takes
to MAKE up a cubic foot: a cubic foot OF
ashlar ID more than a cubic foot OF solid
stone.
80 II the Court House Job would cost
50 cubic foot on basis OF some OF
the stone being very thick. then II the
blocks were smaller and thinner IL
should be more and not less per foot o.
"ft' sould cost great deal more" Mr..
HoroH itz said. ana added, 1.-THE chief
differen nee comes In the cutting on a
limestone Job. For purposes of
economy the stone should never be Gu.
here, but should be cut In Indiana.
You would save freight on all the waste
and then their machinery is rauch more
modern and their experience Ia much
greater and their profit Is much less
fuk So 40
labor 'ondticrs TO ring the stone In ?''
Mr.. Untermyer asked.
"Of course labor in itself has not any
interest where stone Ia cut; It is union
men who cut the stone In Indiana" Mr..
HcroUitz explained. "It Is only the
bosses who persuade the unions not 10
TAKE Inc stone except whore IL is cut
The labor would get as much either
way"
-4.t g too provincial a thing for the
city OF New York to attempt to do. TO
say that stone should be cut here when
II is done uneconomicaiiy, to bring
work here when New York depends
for lite prosperity upon selling it's prod
uct all over the world"
Never Has Been I'm Politics.
Il Imagine you have never been In
politics." Mr.. Untermyer commented.
NO" the witness said
"Wili you explain to. the committee
what has been the condition until this
invest eatiop began with respect to
competition or absence of competition
In the building materials situation?'
1T has been Impossible to get the
benefit Of competitive figures In such
lines Of work as plumbing. limestone,
marble. common brick. cement. lime and
fireproofing. We do heating ourselves.
because we found 1t imp ssible to get
proper competitive figures"
You have not run up against tn,
absence of competition In electric ap
planes and heating because you do
your cwn?''
Yes SIR"
rs there any competition, so far a.
you know, on lumber?'
mo. that has been pretty well lined
UP. The prices are uniform"
"Hw many finished or fancy trim
factories are there In New York or
around the country, do you know"
There are very few available for
use in New York. because under an
Arrangement between the Carpenters
Association and the unions only GER
tain manufacturers are permitted to
erect trim In New York, and carpen-
tiers in this city will only handle trim
provided Il ia manufactured under union
conditi ms, where the scale OF wages
is the same as here"
ITO what extent does that limit your
opportunity for competition?
Limits II very severely"
How many factories can compete?"
ION the class OF work we do we
know of only two or three c ncerns
who qualify both as to capacity and as
TO maintaining the scale of wages
Untn recently there has been compe-
tition in structural steel, the witness
said.
Are you allowed TO erect your own
structural steel in New York; Mr..
Un1ernhyer asked.
we are not" the witness said. but
added they were allowed outside this
city.
isn't II true the steel fabricators OF
the country are I'm an arrangement
with the Iron League Association Of