Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-09
COMBINE GOUGE
OF STATE F0|LED
Commissioner Sadler Rejects
Bids That Would Profiteer
by Millions in Labor
ASK TWICE MARKET PRICE
By GEORGE SOX MCCAIN

By GEORGE NOX MCCAIN
Harrisburg. March "a road con
tractors ring has been reaching for tho
throat Of the State Highway Depart
mtnt.
brutal way Of putting II, but il describes
the situation.
There is combination of individu
ais. firms and corporations engaged in
road and highway building that has
planned to milk the Highway Depart
n!ent and pocket huge profits.
This was to have been done by hold
ing up contract prices to wartime fig
urcS and estimating labor cost at vir
tually double the price at which il can
be obtained today.
Tho department is in possession Of
fnctS regarding meetings that have been
held in connection with this masterful
proposition.
Commissioner Sadlcr has reversed tho
process. Before the curtain drops il
will hc u case Of the throttlcrs throt .
tied
lie has decided hc will sacrifice a part
Of his road building program for 1921
rather than acccde to the demands OF
tho combination.
His department organization IL in
such admirable shape that there will be
no delay in proceeding with a large part
Nineteen Proposals Rejected
On February IS last ont Of twenty
six proposals for highway construction
nineteen were rejected.
A great hue and cry was made. Ger.
tain newspaper friends OF the contrac.
tors instantly >prang to their defense.
This took the shape vt an attack on tho
department and ITS so.Callcd short.
sighted policy in failing TO appreciate
tho fact that costs Of labor aud mate
rial for tho present year had changed
little. il any. from those of last year.
Unfortunately for the contractors.
Commissioner Sadlrr had all the facts Mt
his command A. I" costs OF material.
labor and oil else that goes toward high.
way construction.
The bids advertised for aud rejected
in February are being readvertlscd for
and will continue to b" readvrrtiScd for
until the contractors decide to give the
state fair deal.
Between three aud four eighths of the
expense figuring in a road building con-
tract is for labor. Forgetful Of the fact
that tho war is over, that the country
is returning gradually to normally. the
members Of this combination have bcen
tguring their contracts on labor at war.
time figures.
The Contractors Error
This is fifty five cents an hour for
ordinary unSkiIlcd labor.
The conspicuous error in their calCu'
lati0ns has been forgctfulncSs that Com
missioner SadlCr his engineering dc
pnrtmcnt. aud head, Of construction arc
not only road builders themselves. but.
IL anything. arc holding a stCadier rngcr
on tho labor cost md material situation
than they are themselves.
Under their present system Of bid
ding the contractors have been estimat-
ing on the regular contractors profit,
and in addition from go to 100 per cent
profit gu their lHbor.
While the contractors have been pla"-
ing their cost for labor at from fifty ~
fifty five cents per hour. the depart
mCnt has been receiving offers Of labor
at from twenty. five to thirty cents an
hour
This. too in sections where labor IS
most nee Died,
Thousands oF unemployed mon arc
seeking work. Applications are flooding
the department. 1t is the best class OF
labor
The Now 'crsry Zinc Co., g, Palmer
son. LchiGh county. has offered the
services of several hundred mon for
highway work AT twenty five C"uta at
hour.
Many More Offers
In Clcarfcld county on" concern ha.
volunteered 10 place at the disposal o!
tho department 1900 nEn at thirty cents
an hcur. Similar offers are coming in
from different parts of the state
II Commissioner Sadl"r were disposed
n accept tho bids at the estimated
prices If contractors id"ntihcd with the
combination hn would be contributing {
their pockets in labor alone from TWEEN
tN.hy" 10 thirty cents an hour per man
~ the Contrarts will run into mil,
lions, 'h" amount saved will reach az
enormous sum. II will go toward
building many additional miles Of stat
| highwRH.
with reduced statc appropriation
and tho defeat IT tho federal appr"
| prlution bill for highways in the la>
| Congress. the necessity for making over,
dollar spent ON PENNSYLVANIA highway
| pr"duC" a dollar + worth Of results. hu
| inspired Commissioner Sadlcr with
| determination to go tn" limit in com
batting the combination.
More important than the d"Scrndin
rate of wages and tho increasing nam
Der of laborcrs seeking employment,
the rising ~,al" Uf efficiency. II i a
important a. III" wage schedule in con
tracts and in road building b, III" de-
partmcnt itself.
Last August Commissioner Sadie
got the efficiency scale UP to ~ pc
cent IN Novcmbct it had risen To- s
per cent. This spring the man on stat
highway work who is not 100 per cen
efficient will b. dropped from the pay
roll And this order viii be enforce
to the limit Commis> ionCr Sadlcr say
MARK HALLER
Mark ITallcr. rorry-thrcp years ole
2l23 South Fourth street, aV akencd hi
wife las, night. complaining Of sever
pains, aud died before medical aid Coul
be summoned. Mr.. Hailcr was we
knOwD in the southern section Of II
city, where he was in the real esta'
business. lie was a member of Ham
ilton Lodge, +. and 4. NJ, and I
several Jewish societies. Funeral scry
ices will be held Friday afternoon {
his late home, and interment will |
in Montefore CemeterSs