New-York tribune., 1921-10-08
Jail Building; 9;
Crooks,
VI Untermye er
Lockwood Counsel Tells n.
Y. Real Estate Boards
Fines VIII Not Prevent
the Activities OF Gsrafaers
Housing Problem Worse
Declares the EIisI, Cost of
Living Is Due 10 Short
age; Assails u. S. Steel

throughout the state were charged to
the fictitious maintenance OF prices
through secret and or;minal combines
in the building indu lies. snd to re-
strictions of the iaan market, which
make 1t impossible TO procure money
Tor building purposes on bonds and
mortgages on improved real property,
IN an address made by Samuel Inter
myer here tonight before the New
York Association of Real Estate
Boards
The high cost os living was in turn
charged to the housing famine, Mr..
Untermyer pointing out that every item
tAat enters into the cost Of living is
indirectly inflated for the reason that
increased rents or business places
must be added to the cost of everything
we buy.
In opening his address Mr.. Inter
nyer said that his presence was due
20 the earnest solicitation of the Joint
legislative committee on housing, and
that whereas he had hitherto main
tanned silence on this subject, due to
MS conceptions Of ethics of q legis-
latlve committee, the situation has he
come so crlt.ca. tnat this silence should
be broken.
Conditions Not Improving
I'VE are told from time to time that
tnese conditions are improving," Mr..
Untermyer said. II wish il were trre
put md the contrary to be the fact
In my Judgment they are growing
worse, and we are being foolishIv mis-.
led and our fears set at rest when rhev
ought to be continually alive, and so
spur Us on until the problem is on the
way to solution.
The population in greater New York
as on July i. 1921, is estimated at s.
794,613, and there were then only $50
III apartments available, or an in
crease of only 923 apartments to meet
an increase of $40 ,696 in population.
AS against an increase of 1924 apart
ments IN nine Years before the war.
we have an increase of 923 apartments
Tor the last three and half years.
In the period from 1917 to July l,
1921. figures show that construction
fell behind 69,797 apartments.
Must Stop Criminal Acts
"If we will put stop to the misuse
Of the billions in the savings of the
people and insist upon their being di-
rected into the channels where they
Will yield the safest investment, the best
returns and the best public service,
this situation viii correct itself. pro-
viaed the cost of building can be
forced 10 normal level by putting a
stop to criminal conspiracies that are
restricting production and maintainine
artificial exorbltant prices for building
materials.
Taking 100 as unit TO indicate
wholesale prices of commodities in
April, 1920, building materials reached
a maximum Of 341, while general COM
modities, notwithstanding exploitation,
reached at their highest point only 272
In December, 1920, while general COM
modities fell to 189, building materials
fell only TO 266. In February, 1921,
while general commodities were at III,
buildings were still at 222
"a reduction in this overshadowing
item of the cost OF living, through re-
daced rentals, will automatically bring
CORES ponding decrease in the cost Of
labor. which is already low as com
pared with the general increased cost
OF living
Assai}s Steel Corporation
Nr. Untermyer then declared himself
10 DE chalnplvl of g organized labor
saying that il was due to the war of
the United States Steel Corporation on
the labor unions that B1indell had been
able to biackm4il builders out of more
than $1,000,000 in less than year and
at the same time the cost Of steel con-
struction had Increased.
After explaining that the committee
had experienced lttle difficulty in ex-
posing BrindeM md his aids and placing
them in prison, and but little more diff
ficulty in reaching smaller employers
who had entered into secret combina-
tions TO boost and keep Up prices. with
the result of r-.,lng Hettrick in Jail,
Mr.. Untermvcr said:
''It was when we started at the big
powerful fellows IN business, financial
and political life among the employ
ers that we encountered our real
problems, as I predicted from the be-
ginning. We were warned that busi-
ness and finance were in very sensi-
tive state, and that VIC must on no &C.
count do anything that would look like
crusade against BIC business Even
the Federal government and members
OF the Cabinet took hand and an
nourced that there would be no drive
against big whatever that
may mean
Resume Oldtime Activities
because Of the attitude Of courts.
which merely fined the dealers in
building materials who were arraignen
and pleaded guilty, instead OF impos-
ing prison sentences. thousands OF
other offenders VINO had temporarily
abandoned their criminal practice 5
have resumed their oldtime activities.
Nov, however, the Federal govcrn-
nlent has takc7 aand and indict-
f1ents already have been found against
10 and more inGiYid9a's and corpora
ttong constituting the cement trust