New-York tribune., 1921-12-06
Non-Union Workers Paid
$1,000 a Week for Per-
mits, Is Accusation Made
at Buildin Inquiry
Death Benefits
Kept, Is Charge
Crippled Widow a Victim;
ElectricalSecretaryFails
to Explain Huge Gains

A new variety of Brindellism. inyoly-
ing the alleged shady manipulation Of
huge sums Of money by a labor leader.
but with the worker this time paying
the piper in place of the employing
contractors, was uncovered in City Hall
yesterday at the resumption of the
lockwood committees investigation
into the housing situation.
The man named in connection with
these disclosures is William A. Hogan
financial secretary of the international
Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers
Local No. 8, with headquarters at 13c
East Sixteenth Street. 1t appeared
hat Hogan, the reputed guiding spirit
iathe organization, had supervision over
permit scheme whereby non-union
stn had to give up $3.50 a week for
the privilege OF working with union
SIS. 1t was estimated that about SIS 600
week, or S250,00o year, went into
Siassn's till over period OF several
"ii'' s-iae iouL HIGH were COntln-
Is occupied taking in the receipts
81 his source.
No Bookkeeping System
sere vas no bookkeeping system
srssy OF the Mans. lc was testified,
SSrthy check on these moneys could
ses,S. and very little af the huge
sas tins said to have bc,n paid into
CANS office could be accounted for.
wSs shown, however, that there were
Asest $500 members in .he union and
eas very few Of the remaining 10000
varaers in the electrical industry were
sd7ittcd to the organization, the tes-
simony indicating that it suited Ho-
Gan purpose better to squeeze $3.50
! week from these men than 70 have
them pay the 50 monthly dues as mem
bers
it also was testified that Hogan had
appropriated large sums in death ben
ents that should have accrued to the
families of the deceased members. In
one instance at least, it was charged,
soe withholding of this money from a
crippled widow caused severe suffer
me. Hogan maintained that in four
instances where he was charged with
appropriating these death benefits the
deceased had left will making him
sae beneficiary. These wills, it devel-
oped, however, had never been proved,
and while Hogan denied that any of
sne deceased members had left rela-
ives the kin of two of them were
present yesterday as witnesses.
he tnally explained he deposited the
money with the understanding with
s'mseif' that if any one turned up
70 claim it he would surrender it.
Record of Building Probe
4, Before the revelation of the opera
'lons OF Hogan, Samuel Untermyer,
snef counsel to the committee, read
,hso the record statement of what
nsd 80 far been accomplished by the
eommittee and what there was still
y pc done. He took the Department
u 5ustlce to task for not pursuing the
prosecution of the Federal antitrust
az vloiators with more alacrity and
hd that it the department continued
Y cases at the present rate Eve will
silbe dead and buried" before the long
,sSs still to come before the authori-
Aes are taken UP.
wish 1t was as easy to reach the
aeaas OF some OF our large industries
@it was to reach the labor leaders,"
nld Mr. Untermyer.
am we'll within the facts when
Ms there are over 10000 business men
y Me united States who are violating
saohsl and state antitrust laws and
spc nave been doing SO with impunity.
Z vas evident at once that there can
ss,n. & no hope of renewed or healthy
sS"oing activity so long as these com
Continued ON paue six1