New-York tribune., 1921-06-16
Building Plot
Is State Wide.
Say Prohers
Three Hundred of LEADING
Dealers in Housing Ma
terial Outside of City
Accused by Unterniyer
Brick Men Face Trial
Criminal Combine Alleged
to Restrict Output of
Buffalo District Yards
Fron q Staff Correapondcr,

BUFFALO, June 15.~-Within twenty
tee on housing, began it's inquiry in
this city, Sarnuel Unternyer, its chief
counsel, announced to-day that suffi-
cient evidence had been addrced TO In
aicste criminal conspiracies among
brick manufacturers in this district
and building material dealers through
cut the state. The committee, at his
suggestion, ordered the testimony sent
at once to District Attorney Guy B.
Moore and the grand jury for action.
Tho proceedings involve about a
dezen OF the biggest brick men in the
western part of the state and indi-
rectly about three hundred of the lar
gest material dealers in the area out
side OF New York City.
Mr.. Untermyer's suggestion fol-
lowed disclosures at to-day's session
o. statewide combine of dealers in
building materials, with the prime pur-
pose of fixing prices. A local asso
citation, 1t was shown, set the pace, the
rates fixed by this organization being
distributed by state association to
sll localities except New Yoris City.
In connection with the prick mon
opoly it WAS disclosed that while the
manufacturers here said they could
not spare any of their product for
New York City, they were dismantling
many of tho plants, restricting their
output and boosting prices. In tho
face of appeals for the product from
builders in New York City the me men
here reduced their output from 49,000,
IN
"ln my opinion" declared Mr.. Unter-
pcyer, I'VE have made q prima facie
case against the brick manufacturers
end against the dealers in masons'
supplies, and the testimony should be
sent to the district attorney of the
coLnty- I think both really consti-
tate criminal conspiracy against the
law and the people should be prose-
cLted"
Particular interest attached to the
hearings to-day through the appearance
on the witness stand of Miss Irene
Cullen, a young stenographer employed
by one of the dealers who had to bear
fhe bruut Of the price fixing inquiry.
The girl tainted at the close Of the
examination. 1t was disclosed, too, that
the sand and gravel business within 100
miles of this city was in the complete
control of the Buffalo Gravel Company,
the distributing organization for the
four biggest sand producers along the
Niagara River and Lake Erie. The
agreement these four concerns made
with the Buffalo company was declared
TO be the "most brazen contract that
ever came to the attention of the COM
mittee"
The Insurance. field was also touched
upon in the story of Edward S. FRANKIE
q master plumber, who testified that in
the period between 1916 and 1921 he
paid the Globe Indemnity Company
sf19 for insurance on a store-front
plate glass that cost him only s73.
The smooth-face brick business, il
wss revealed, was practically under the
control of the John II. Black Com
pany, which firm was the exclusive
agent Of almost all of the smooth-face
brickmakers in the country.
In this connection it was revealed
that John II. Black, the head of this