The New York herald., 1921-07-15
LEO URGES HYLAN
TO PUNISH CRITICS
Wants Mayor to Assist Him in
Making Example of Those
Charging Favoritism.
DENIES BLOCKING FRADUS
Latter's Friends Attribute His
Troubles to His Fight
Against Brindell.
DENIES BLOCKING FRADUS

The fuss over the Fradus contract
for the removal of city ashes to Rikers
Island brought a demand yesterday
from the Street Cleaning Commits
sioner, John P. Leo, that Mayor Hylan
assist him in making an example"
of those who charge that the Commits
sioner has favored Rodgers & Hag-
gerty, the Tammany contractors, and
placed obstacles in the way of Jacob
Fradus, who was the lowest bidder and
to whom the contract recently was
awarded.
Commissioner Leo declared in let.
ter to the Mayor that the charges of
President La Guardia of the Board of
Aldermen. and of ex-Comptroller Ed
ward M. Grout, F'radus's lawyer. that
there was favoritism shown and inter-
ference with Fradus, were untrue
Such charges. he said, reflect upon
the conduct of this Office and are ab-
solutely false and libellous."
THE dignity of the Board OF Esti-
mate, respect for its decisions. justice
to it's agents and, what is of higher
importance, the public interest" wrote
Commissioner Leo. require that the
board appoint a committee to investi-
gate the matter and report its find
ings"
Explanation OF Dimculty.
Fradus, George H. Finn OF Booth
Finn, and Deputy Commissioner Esch-
mann visited Rikers Island yesterday.
Commissioner Leo said he would abide
by any report Of Board Of Estimate
committee, but he added that malicious
and unjustified attacks upon public Off
cials who cannot be used for selfish
purposes have become too frequent and
1t Is high time that an example be made
of the offender" He repeated his pre-
vious charges that President La Guardia
has kept on sending requests to him for
Ieniency to men in the Street Cleaning
Department under charges, at the very
time that La Guardia was giving out
public attacks on Commissioner Leo.
The difficulty which Jacob Fradus.
contractor. is finding In getting access
to Rikers Island so that he can proper
taken with the city to cart. scow and
dump city ashes on the reclaimed part
of the island. at a price OF $219 a scow-
load. Is attributed by Fradus's friends
solely to his connection with the reve-
lations which he made before the Lock-
wood Committee, and afterward at the
trial OF Robert p. Brindell.
Fradus does not care to talk about
the matter, but men who came into close
contact with him during the Lockwood
Committees Investigation of the Brin-
dell system of blackmailing contractors
engaged In building operations know
that ever since Fradus volunteered to
tell of his troubles with Brindell he has
been a marked man In certain ways
and every attempt he has made TO re-
sumo active business has been met with
unexpected and extraordinary obstacles.
Got wrecking Contract.
Fradus who cannot read or write
English and signs his name In Hebrew
characters, In a short thlckset. little
man. He drifted a few years ago into
the housewrecking business and gradu-
ally accumulated q fairly complete plant
for that kind OF work. Then no went in
for excavation work and haulage and
hfs big trucks, loaded with excavated
dirt. could be seen moving across the
city at various points. His business in
creased TO a gross Of about $500, 900
year. with a very fair measure OF profit
in the work.
When the Garment Centre Realty
Company's two block building was to be
put up at Seventh avenue and Thirty
seventh street, Fradus got the contract
for wrccking the old buildings and dig
ging the ecavation for the new founda-
tions. His contract price was $275,000
There was no general contractor, each
part OF the work being parcelled out to
different contractors by the garment
company.
Brindell had his eye on this building
Continued OF sirfh Page.