New-York tribune., 1920-11-12
Fooled by Attorney for
Builders and Duped by
Men in Limestone Ring.
Mayor Says on Stand
Boosted Cost of
Work Sl,O00.000
Resents lmputation That
He Knowingly Played
Into Hands Of Combine

Confronted with the documentary
evidence, Mayor Hyian on the witt
ness stand before the Lockwood COM
mittee yesterday admitted recon,~
mending to the Board of Education
the use Of limestone instead of terra
Gotta in school construction wholly
at the suggestion of John 7. Het-
trick.
Acting on recommendations enl-
bodied in letter sent by the Mayor
to Frank D. Wilsey, chairman of the
building committee of the board.
on February 8, 1919, it was brought
out by counsel for the committee
that the specifications fer forty-one
schools had been changed from terra
Gotta to limestone, involving an ex-
penditure, first of s15,000,0oo, and
later boosted to $16,000,00O.
Many of these schools are in
course of construction, and all the
building specifications, it developed
from the testimony, provide for the
use Of limestone, While terra Gotta
previously had been recommended.
Fooled by Hettrick
The letter, it appeared from the tes-
timony and admissions by the Mayor,
was a verbatim copy of one about
which the Mayor had previously con-
ferred with Hettrick ond which Het-
trick had prepared at the Mayors sug-
gestion-
The Mayor sorrow fully asserted that
he "believed he had been fooled and
was the victim OF Hettrick's labor
union game in the interests of the
limestone ring" He resented, how
ever, any imputation that any per
sonal interests" had caused him to
comply with Hettrck's request, insist
ing that he had been fooled, as many
others have been fooled"
The suggestions contained in the
letter to Mr.. Wiisey, in which were
explained the advantages" of lime
stone over terra Gotta and various la
Dor reasons that should be taken into
consideration, Mayor Hylan insisted,
were based solely on information con-
tained in memoranda drafted for him
by Hettrlck He agreed with Samuel
Untermyer, counsel for the comm ittee,
that il was a pure fabrication and
pack of lies" and was full Of misstate-
ments.
The Mayor admitted having various
rOrva1.ev with EaftrirL .aD1 hou.
ing written many letters 10 him, but
insisted that, while he must have had
conversations with a man named uet
trick, he didn't remember him and might
not be able to recognize him if he saw
him."
Hettrick. despite the invitation OF
the committees counsel, failed to ap-
pear Instead, Robert II. Elder. his
counsel, submitted a statement to Sena-
tor Lockwood, chairman Of the COM
mittee, which informed the committee
that nasmuch as ii appears that the
investigation IS directed against tlet-
trick, he declines to testify any fur-
ther.
These developments were the climax
of session overfiowlng with verbal
tits and sensations. The Mayor kept
continually breaking in on Mr.. Inter
mver's incisive Ques lions 10 make long
.
ruptions despite the protests of the
committees counsel.
Kap!an Causes Disorder
When Mr.. Untermyer came to the
Mayor's activities in connection with
school contracts, Senator Abraham
Kaplan, Democratic member OF tne
committee, threw the assembiage into
disorder by his objections.
Mr.. Chairman" he cried, ~ want TO
place the statement or record that
think counsel is indulging in many side
remarks that have nothing TO Co with
this investigation, largely for the bene
tit Of the gallery. / make these re-
marks because | have been here on
serious business. ] think we have
wasted half q day and think we should
60 on into the Investigation OF the raa-
terial trust"
lis remarks were greeted with much
applause, whereupon Mr.. Untermyer
asserted that labor clique wa pres-
ent and Insisted on its being slenced.
Chairman Lockwood Immediately had
two men elected from the Board of Es-
innate chamber and announced that he
would have the place cleared il the al
fair was repeated
Mr.. Untermyer made every effort to
bring from the Mayor an admission
tina. ne did nothing with view to the
cancellation of fraudulent city con-
tracts until stirred by the first session
of the inquiry. In the numerous let
ters produced ~ Mr.. UnterTayer which
had passed between Hettrick and the
Mayor. counsel for the committee
pointed TO Hettrick's continual harping
on the labor unions, which Untermyer
charged he was using s catspaw for
The oene1it of the limestone ring.
The events that led up 10 the pro-
duction of the Mayors limestone letter
began with his insistence on reading
all the communications that passed
between him and the various depart
ment heads of the city ia conn ction
with the investigation Of city contracts
When Mr.. Untermyer requested that
they simply be placed in the record to
save time the Mayor demurred, prefer
ring to read He held the stand 70.
about three hours in the course Of his
reading of big batch of these COM
munications which had been printed
from time 10 time in tire newspapers.
The Mayor testified that he never
had heard of Hettricl' until the rsceip: