The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-08
ence We have collected for such action
5 the committee may see At to take"
Reveals Hettrick Methods.

dence We have collected for such action
as the committee may see At to take"
Reveals Hettrick Methods.
BY way of making good his oft re-
peated assertion that the Board of Esti-
mate investigation of city contracts is
mere whitewashing expedition. Mr..
Untermyer called John Eisenberg, a
clerk from Hettrick's office. to the wit
ness stand to explain the contract pa
pers covered with the lawyers short
hand notes.
Mr.. untermyer explained that the
papers were turned over recently to
John p. O'Brien. Corporation Counsel,
for the information Of city officials and
were returned to the Lockwood COM
mittee Mr.. Untermyer proceeded to
show what the figures contained which
Mr.. O'Brien had not found. The sheets
dealt with limestone. heating and venti-
lating contracts, mostly in the schools.
The offers on limestone for p. S. LA,
Brooklyn, for example. showed that Ave
bids were sent to Hettrick's Office to be
fixed One for s10.4o3 was raised to
s12,4os. Opposite the first bid was writ
ten 1000 for u.s." The several bids were
all revised upward. Hettrick set an ''ac-
cornmodation bid" as the standard for
the Job and placed all the others above
his figure. The result was that the low
est estimate put In by Hettrick to the
city was s11,345. After the juggling
had been finished the contract was
awarded at that figure.
A similar method was employed by
Hettrick on the bidding on a contract
for p. S. 4S, in Manhattan. There were
five bidders besides Hettrick's accom-
mediation bid. These bids ranged from
S2,5S3 to $3.50. The Hettrick accom-
mediation bid was put at $500. and the
contract was awarded for $1.700 more
than the average of the original bids.
Hettrfck Boosted Figures.
In handling heating and yentilating
contracts the witness said Hettrick kept
the figures in three classifications.
These were the cost estimate from the
contractor, the contractors bid and the
Hettrick figure, which was called "the
amount authorized. The first of these
was S73.734, the second was $92,77O and
the third was s101,500. This was for
work on P. S. 100 for heating and VEN
tilating. There were six bidders. Mr..
Untermyer went over the several bids
and got from the witness admission that
all the figures were boosted by Het-
trick
1.-THE city had appropriated 100000
and so the bids were raised nearly to
the limit, but kept within the city's
figure, was that it?'' Mr.. Untermyer
asked The witness thought so.
On a contract to supply sandstone for
Wards Island Mr.. Untermyer showed
from the Hettrick sheets that the work
was awarded to James B. Lenehan for
| $20,250, which was 81, 900 above the low
est bid put In to Hettrick. For lime
i1t~ D,hIi
street and Third avenue the same sys-
tenn was used and bids jumped $1,700 on
$1,000 contract.
Eisenberg said Hettrick had not been
In his office for weeks. but that the Of
flee still was being run by the clerical
force.
Thomas F. Mclaughlin, secretary of
the Contractors Protective Association,
verified the minutes of that Organization
which contained a protest from con-
tractor against the conduct of the Yam
kee Contracting Company An marketing
sand in competition with members Of the
Contractors Association.
Mclaughlin was asked concerning an
alleged agreement between this associa-
tion and the Brindell Trades Council
The witness said some sort of an under
standing was reached last spring under
terms of which the council agreed that
none of its members should work on
trucking other than that done by men,
bers OF the protective association. 1t
was further agreed. the witness said,
that the BrindeIl council would not per-
NIT its transfers to work under condi-
tions where they could obtain better
hours and wages than given by the pro-
tective association.
George A. Gilfeather. excavating con-
tractor, stated that he took part In
meeting held by the protective associa-
ton at which a minimum price was fixed
for excavating work and an agreement
made to penalize members who did not
live up to the rule The penalties to be
imposed were $500 for the first offence.
$1,000 for the second and expulsion for
the third.
The wages charged under this scale
were a sharp advance over the prevail
ing rates paid to workers. The union
scale for common labor was SIS to Sc
"a day and this was raised to 50. The
Aoot. Co. u,btci, the world hag waited for