New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-05-20
Housing Probe
Bares 3 More
Close Combines
Master Painters and Dec.
orators, Bronze and Iron,
and plasterers' Employ
ers' Associations Named
Plan Was Like Hettrick's
Builders We're. Charged
$I6O Weekly for Labor
ers who Were Paid $50

crS VINO w ere FaTd p DO
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Three more close combinations in
the building industry were uncovered
at yesterdays session Of the Lockwood
Committee on Housing in City Hall
In the case OF one of these It developed
that this organization was merely an
appendage OF the international Con-
tracing plasterers' Association, with
headquarters at Cincinnati, which Is
declared to have held this phase Of the
nations building operations In firm
grip.
An echo Of Robert p. Brindelps eff
forts TO wreck District Council 8
oil the Painters, Decorators and
Paperhangers of America because of
it's refusal to join the labor cars
Building Trades Council in 1890 also
was heard in the day's testimony. Il
was declared by several witnesses that
during the painters strike in 1920
several men high up in the District
Council of Painters agreed to form 8
new painters union for the employers
for consideration of $4,000 to $780,
0ee." These men, in their attempt to
betray the District Council, were said
to have been acting in the interests of
Brindell.
New Combines Exposed
The new combines exposed were the
Ornamental Bronze and Iron Employ
erss Association, the Association of
Master Painters and Decorators, and
the Plasterers Employers Association.
The manner In which building costs
were boosted sky-high by the opera
tions of the bronze and iron organiza-
ton was told by Lelande Z. Van Der
werken, formerly secretary of the assoc
citation. He declared that the organiza-
ton included in it's membership the
largest bronze and iron concerns
in the city According to the testi
nfony developed by Samuel Untermyer,
chief counsel to the Lockwood commit
tee, and his associate, George r. Bren-
nan, the association members were
enabled to charge builders $160 8 week
for laborers to whom the members
were paying only $56.
While the associations manifest
purpose, as set forth in the constitu-
ton, was to correct non-mercantile
competition" Mr.. Untermyer brought
out testimony to show that the meth
DDS employed by the organization re-
sembled to large degree the John I.
Hettrick code of practice scheme, with
8 free interchange of contract prices.
A rule of the organization, declared by
Mr.. Untermyer to be particularly
'aespotic," forbade members taking
over contracts formerly held by other
members except by permission of the
association. If builder had trouble
with q member, Mr.. Untermyer said,
the builder couldn't have his work done
before the first contractor had been
s>farn 1ata satisfied
Alfred E. JOY, secretary and treas
grer Of tbs Association OF Master
Painters and Decorators, admitted that
she employers charged a SO per cent
~dvance on union wages, but offered the
sgeuse that this was necessary to meet
heavy overhead expenses.
1t was in the course of Joys testi-
niony that Mr.. Uatermyer brought forth
the minutes of the association in which
the $4,000 proposition to sell out the
District Council of Painters was in
scribed.. The painters had declared
strike on September 2, 1920, said Joy.
A man named SchatZ appeared at
meeting of the employers association
on September l and said he was au-
thorised TO make the proposition Chat
three or four men high up in the dis
frict council would agree to form a
new union if the employers would see
about $4,000" Mr.. Schatz was quite
sure that this could be accomplished.
New Union Formed
1t did not develop who Schatz was.
Mr.. Joy said that the new union,
known as Local No. /, was eventually
formed and that $500 was advanced to
pay its expenses, which later were paid
by the Building Trades Employers AS
ISOLATION, with which the master paint
ers are affiliated. Philip Zausner, sec
rotary of the District Council of Paint
ers, said that Brindell had hand in
the matter and that he was trying to
wreck his organization because it with
drew from BrindelPs council. The
painters lost their strike and after the
exposures of the Lockwood Committee,
Local No. /, which had allied itself
with the Brindell crowd, was dissolved.
Tho testimony in connection with
the plasterers' combine was offered by
Thomas Smith, formerly secretary. The
method of operation Of this organiza-
tion, 1t was alleged, included many of
the obnoxious features of other COM
bines already disclosed Communities
tions introduced as evidence, which had
passed between the local body and the
international Contracting Plasterers'
Association, showed that the national
body was trying to persuade the local
organization to adopt a system of bid
reporting obtaining among some of the
locals in other cities. Smith said the
system was never adopted here.
The hearing will continue this morn
ing.