New-York tribune., 1920-12-24
Capt. Foster, Investigator
of Erectors' Combine.
Faces Two Indictments
as Result of Inquiry
Five Big Concerns
Rule Lead Prices
Witnesses Cite Increase
From 6 to Is Cts. a Lib. i:
Iron PipeTrust Smashed

Captain Robert j. Foster, chief in
vestigator for the National Erectors'
Association, was arrested at his office.
at 2S6 Fifth Avenue, last night, on
charges growing out of the Lockwood
committees investigation of the build
ing industry.
Foster had been indicted twice earli-
er in the day by the extraordinary
grand jury considering the criminal
evidence arising from the housing in
quiry. He was charged with refusing
repeatedly to testify on certain mat
ters before the Lockwood committee
and declining to produce books and
papers which he had been ordered 70
produce by subpoena.
lie was taken to the Criminal Courts
Building, where he was released upon
payment of $4,000 cash bail. He was
given until December 2s to appear be-
fore Justice McAvoy for motions or
pleading. His Indictment is considered
Of Importance by the committee. as it
IS the first prosecution in connection
with the steel phase Of the investiga-
ton.
Ring Of Lead Makers
The committee at its hearing yester-
DAY also uncovered a combination of
lead manufacturers. 1t was testife
that five concerns, constituting the
membership of the American Institute
Of Lead Manufacturers. controlled %
per cent Of the white lead production
&C the country.
AS white lead is the basic component
cf nearly all paints. the manipulation
Il lead prices by reporting plan" of
he members of the institute is said to
have had much to do with the high cost
Of building construction.
Az a result of this combination. the
Price of white lead is said to have
risen from cents a pound in 1918 to
Is cents last September it is now
selling a. ID cents a pound
Charles +. Tuttle. secretary of the
Eastern Soil Pipe Association, who told
of the operations OF q combination OF
ron pipe manufacturers on Wednes-
day, yesterday announced on the stand
ready to disband their organization
He promised 10 see that it dissolved
within week. ceased "price-fixing ac-
tiyities and began open competition
In the cast iron field from now on. -
Following this announcement, Samuel
Untermeyer, counsel for the committee,
declared that the committee would
therefore suspend temporarily its in
quiry Of the cast iron pipe industry.
Foster Showed Defiance
Foster had appeared as witness
before the Lockwood committee last
Thursday. He repeatedly cashed with
Mr.. Untcrmeyer during the entire
course of his examination, assuming a
defiant attitude and refusing to an
swer many questions put to him. He
was warned at the time that his case
would so at once before the grand
jury.
In the course.of his examination he
admitted that as chief Investigator for
the National Ercctors' Association he
had forty operatives under his direc-
ton, Of whom fourteen had been en-
gagged in assignments in the steel in
dustry, eight of them IN mills and six
m locals OF the Bridge and Structural
Iron Workers. He declined to dis
OiOSc lllt lOeIitlI\ Ol THESE operatives
or furnish their secret reports, con
tending that it would endanger their
lives
The indictments specifically charge
him with refusing to answer fourteen
questions and with refusing to produce
certain reports of his operatives. who
had been employed by the erectors' as
sociation to investigate the work done
by members of labor unions in the
erection of structural steel in this city
end throughout the country whore
steel had been furnished by the Ma
tonnl Steel Fabricators' Association.
The indictments incidentally set
forth that the National Erectors' AS
sociation annually controls the erec-
tion Of two thirds Of the structural
steel put up in the United States They
also mention that the Iron League of
New York controls practically all the
nund