The New York herald., 1921-05-11
CITY Is GOUGED FOR
S444,OOO ON A JOB
continaed from Fret Page.

naval camp in City Park. Brooklyn. the
bids ranged from $4,000 to $4,000. As
practical contractor he said that the
bids appeared to him wrong on their
face" and that he was morally certain
they had been pooled" One bidder.
Hemlein & Smith. who entered the lowest
bid. 1t was testified. apparently felt SO
sure of landing the contract that mate
rial vas purchased and permits were
obtained from the city IN advance TO
proceed with the work.
Brown, however, felt sure the work
could be done for less. and rejected all
the bids, giving the work 20 George Fl.
Greasy. an independent plumbing cor
tractor. whose bill. including hh own
profit. was t25. $685..
Commander Brown testified that lie
presented his evidence about the alleged
colIusion In the bids % Cnlted States
Attorney Cafsey and reported his &C
ton TO the Navy Department The bids
received Tor the Job. al OF which we're
rejected, were: Hemiein & 6r1ith, 14S,-
goo: J. ". Knight & Son. s53.<4o; Wells
Newton & Co.. sos ZOO: J. H. Jasper.
Inc. s56.720. and ". c. Cornell Com
pany. t5T.Sso.
CafHey Needed More Evidence.
A letter to the Navy Department from
Harold Harper. Assistant United States
Attorney, which was put into the record,
set forth that the prosecutor had been
Obliged to reach the conclusion that
not sufficient evidence was available to
ask the Grand Jury for an indictment" "
To Assistant United States Attorney
Barnes, who had brought the records
Of the case from his office. was offered
I,x, AY,. INT tr.
make any statement or explanation he
cared.
Il was not aware. sir" he said. that
the United States Attorney is on trial
before this committee. would be very
glad to give you any information
can"
81 have not suggested that the United
States Attorney is on trial." retorted
Mr.. Untermyer. "All have done is
to put in the records, and they speak
for themselves. II seems to me that
some one was very remiss. If you want
my opinion"
A little sater in response to another
suggestion from Mr.. Untermyer that the
committee would be glad to receive any
statement the United States Attorney
cared to make, Mr.. Barnes said to the
chair:
IT have no doubt. sir il we had Mr..
Cntermyer as an assistant at that time
an indictment would have been found"
The remark aroused Chairman Lock-
wood
"Inasmuch as YOU volunteered that
statement, I'll say that ! think you
would have got a great many convic-
tions that you did not get"
Frederick w. Herendeen, secretary OF
the National Boiler and Radiator Man
ufacturers' Association. an organiza tion
of twenty-three of the leading manu-
facturers OF radiators and low pressure
boilers in the United States. denied the
association ever discussed prices with
the heating and piping contractors or
was in any way price fixing institu-
ton. It's chief function. he said. was to
watch legislation in various States and
fight it where it was against the public
interest
He cited as an instance a bill intro
duced in the Ohio Legislature that
would have made it compulsory to have
licensed engineer in charge Of every
low pressure heating boiler in the State.
The regulation OF chimney construction
and the promulgation of the code of the
American Society Of Mechanical Engi-
neers from the viewpoint of safety were
also among the organizations func-
tions.
Mr. Unter-1.er read copies of bule-
tins sent out to members By Mr.. Heren-
deem in which frequent reference was
made to 'our splendid lobby" The wit
ness admitted that this lobby was prin-
cipaily responsible for the killing OF the
so-called Simpson bill In the 1917 Leg
islature, which would have prevented a
heating contractor from bidding sep
arately on a city contract II the contract
was to be given to q general contractor.