The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-23
Effort Made to Have At
torney-General a Special
Prosecutor.
TERRORISM REVEALED
Plumber With $1,O00.000
Contracts Fears Repris-
ais for Testifying.
BRINDELL STILL DEFIANT
Lockwood Committee Hears o.
Extortion Reaching Into
the Millions.
~
BRINDELL STILL DEFIANT

The Lockwood housing committee.
closing another day of new and star
tling revelations in the investigation
OF the building scandal, called last
night on Gov. Smith to designate the
Attorney General as special prosecut-
ing officer to begin criminal actions
based on the evidence OF extortio1
and graft developed in the sensational
investigation.
Although the inquiry Is barely
under way, the basis for crimtna.
action has been laid. The inquiry
has touched only the plumbing Indus
try, and there are thirty-odd othei
trades TO be probed. An Extrao-ii-
nary Grand Jury may be summoned.
1t was shown yesterday that buildin@
is at a standstill because contractors
are absolutely terrorlzed by the "-ys-
TEN" operated by the successors to
Sam Parks.
The building industry is oeiny
throttled by the organized raid OF
unscrupulous labor leaders. seeking
to extort the last possible dollar from
contractors, Samuel Untermyer, coup
sci for the Lockwood legislative com
mittee, declared at the close of tho
days revelations. The committees
touched the heart Of the building
problem as the probe sunk deeper.
BrindeII Is called the Boss.
Robert +. Brlndell, president of the
Building Trades Council. is described
rs the master Of all building in New
York.
Contractors do not dare go ahead
with building. They do not know
what Illicit fees they may have to pay
before they are finished. They do not
know what day labor may be called
on strike.
Milton Schnaier. head OF a big
plumbing contracting firm, almost
wept as he pleaded that he should not
be sacrificed by being compelled to
answer questions relating to Brindeil,
whom he called the Sam PARKS of this
generation. He has n million dollars
at stake, he said. and he would be
ruined II he told the truth.
Brindell not only defed the COM
mittee by refusing TO appear as a
witness. but issued a statement in the
Aldermanic Chamber OF City Hall as
sailing the committee and challeng-
ing its power. His counsel. John ].
OConnor. openly reouked the com
mittee, saying It practlsed Bolshevill
methods ana he refused TO take the
stand.
In thirty-two building lines are rings
operating within rings. the testimony
showed. Tho committed is going after all
of them. 10 was developed that MEM
bers Of the plumbers associations will
refuse to do work In any building where
a bill remains unpaid. They pass on
the Justice OF the bill.
The pink and green card system
worked out by John 7. Hettrick. law
yer. for stopping "leaks" in the plumb
ing industry, was not only used by the
thirty-two contractors in the Hettric!s
combination but was adopted as ''codo
Of procedure" By the 400 plumbers In
the "Fifiy-elghth Street Association"
where Did 2 Per Cent. Go.
The plumbers and contractors paid
Hettrick 4 per cent OF all the busi-
ness they did. lie got l per cent Who
got the other 3 per cent? The Lockwood
committee Is seeking 20 learn. Wit
nesses testified they suspected" but
they would not say whom Fear silenced
them when they were about 20 speak.
As a direct result Of the testimony
taken 30 far 10y the committee the Board
Of Estimate rejected yesterday all bids
for the proposed Court House. The ring
within tho ring was operating 20 gct
millions on that job.
Mr.. Untermyer estimated that lIet.
trick must get $4,000 year from
the business OF the thirty-two men DE-
brought together. They do Si3.O00.0o1
worth of business. Time and again
asked witnesses how the 800. 600 re-
naming in the commission was split. is
is not unlikely he declared. that Il
total amount OF business transact
under the 1Icttrick code might amoui
20 100000 900 and IN that event tis
Insurance which went 60 some my
terious person or persons must have
reached into the millions.
The prohts az stake In this welding
of organized power must have been
perhaps stil aro---tremcndOus Men
obeyed bllndly when ordered TO strike.
That was tho power OF the system.
Building operations cannot go on un-
der such a system. Mr.. Untermyer said.
He added that crooks who arc stabbins
labor In the back must be jailed before
the business OF providing homes can
go on. The men who were victims o.