New-York tribune., 1920-11-13
Mayor, in Bitter Clash
With Untermyer, Seeks
to Justify Himself for
Stand on School Bids
Demands Rights as
A Private Citizen
Contractor Says Council
Head Charged s50,O0c,
for s'Strike insurance.

Mayor Hylan's determined efc1:s.
to place his version of the schc&.,
contracts controversy on the rec
ords of the Lockwood committees
investigation of the building indus
try and the handing over Of $4,000
to Robert P Brindell, head Of the
Building Trades Council. by a con,
tractor were the outstanding de-
velopments Of yesterdays session IN
City Hall.
The hearing was the most tumultus
Gus of any of the lively sessions SC
far held. Despite protests by Sam
uel Untermyer, the committees
counsel, that the Mayor was trying
to turn the hearing into a circus
and the orderly investigation into a
general beer garden, the Mayor per-
sisted all through the session in try
:re to get letter before the COM
rlttce eXonerating him Of any re-
sponsibility in having the contracts
for schools provide for limestone IN
stead Of terra Gotta.
Failing in this, the Mayor finally
gave the letter to the newspapers
for publication.
Many times the hearing was thrown
into disorder by demonstrations of
spectators, who jammed the little Board
of Estimate chamber They expressed
their approval or disapproval by ap-
plause or Kisses. Mr.. Untermyer was
compelled to call for sergeants at arms
! to preserve order and discipline the
participants.
w. J. Bryan Spectator
One of the interested spectators was
William Jennings Bryan, whose en-
trance brought the proceedings tenn
porarily to a halt. He was greeted
with applause when he entered and
took seat on the rostrum with men,
oers of the committee. where he was
later Joined by the Mayor He said
there was no significance to his pres
ence, having merely dropped in for a
visit.
The clash between Mayor Hylan and
the committees counsel began with the
opening of the hearing when the Mayor
insisted upon reading a statement into
the recorus which lnciucet. / eUter sent
II the Mayor yesterday by Charles B. ].
Snyder, superintendent of Buildings
Tor the Board of Education. This let
ter showed that the plan Of the Board
OF Education authorities to switch
from terra Gotta to limestone for
school construction had been decided
upon as far back as early in January,
pared by John 7. Hettrick, head OF the
Code of Practice" contractors scheme
and sent out by the Mayor under his
own name, was received.
Mr. Untermyer declared the Mayor
was interrupting the proceedings with
immaterial and incompetent matter
and if he was permitted to read state
ments of outs 4ors not under oath and
without opportunity for examination,
he would De setting bad precedent.
The Mayor. lowe yer, demanded tnat
the people should know the truth, and
with a show Of emotion he turned to
the committee and said;
II appeal to the comm ttce in all
! fairness to rae and the people of the
city to let M read this letter
Not Acting for People
"The people OF the city Will take
now on behalf Of the people of the
city" returned Mr.. Untermyer.
at Is only fair TO me-" went on the
Mayor
The word lair is overdone,' re.orted
Untermyer.
A little more wrangling and the
Mayor snapped: 81 am going 10 give
the letter ou- now to tine newspapers"
Ir. Untermyer rephed Then you
sre doing very grave and Indecent
thing, and vou ought 10 be ashamed
Of yourself for doing it."
There were cheers and Kisses, and
order was restored only after severe
pounding of the gavei by Senator
Lockwood.
remarkable feature of yesterdays
proceedings also was the large Dart;ci.
patton IN questioning OF the witnesses
by mem 7ers % r. committee Time
and again AssembIyman Leininger or
4ta1l.-. o. Sen~-.oE nAp.du Wo.4l en-
gage witnesses for long stretches of
tlme, occupying much of the afternoon
, session.
AS against the Mayors efforts TO
prove that the substitution Of lime.
stone fer terra Gotta IN the schools had
been decided upon before he sent the
Heterick letter of February 8, Inter
myer yesterday produced long series
CT letters and spondence that
passed between the Mayor, rfank u.
" !lsev, We -presiuent - the Board os
Educatlon; Mr.. Snyder, superintendent.
Of school buildings. and contractors
and lebor organizations in which the
use of limestone instead Of terra Gotta
/ ls urged, and dated early in January,
1919.
Untcrmyer Traces Deals
Mr.. tngermyer tgied to snow that the
February 5 letter was merely a cuI-
minatlcn Of a long series Of communi-
cations on the subject with which tae
contractors ring. Hettrick and the
abor unions he ella med to represent.
had been flooding the offices OF the
Mayor and the school authorities.
He pointed out that the first ad-
! vertised bid providing for the use Of