New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1921-08-05
Persistent, But Unverified
Report Is That At Least
One Foreman Is Accept
ing Gratitudes From
Workmen
Mayor and Other Officials
Are Familiar With Stories
and Are Making Every
Effort to Run Them to
Ground.


Charges that one or more foremen
in the employ of the department Of
public works are guilty Of acts that
are decidedly irregular il not alb
solutely crooked, continue to flow
into City hall despite the disinclina-
ton OF city officials to believe any
such yarns.
Just what. and who and why ana
wherefore of the charges is not being
divulged but it is learned on good
authority that a certain foreman in
the employ of the department is
under suspicion of hiring men OF
the street in preference to men en-
gagged by the labor bureau, keeping
men hired by the bureau from sew
eral hours to one day, and then let
ting them go.
Rumors of Graft.
These. men are whispering vague
intimations. which those who hear
them are 10th to believe, that the said
foreman is extracting one and two
dollars a week from men who arc
kept on the job.
Whole Gang Complains.
A week ago. according 10 tho
story, nine or 10 italian laborers
were hired by the labor bureau on
the requisition of a certain city
foreman. This foreman is said to be
retaining his regular gang every
week instead II changing men 70 al
to give some work to = greater
number Of unemployed. The nine or
10 Italians all came back 10 CITY han
within % hours With Complaints that
they had been discharged. They
further. state that no. other men were
laid of when they were hired. Sew
eral of these Italians have fntinated
it is said, that the foreman was re-
ceiving pay from a number Of aliens
of another race who were hired on
the street some time ago. It ID
thought by some that this may be
mere jealousy on the part OF the dis
charged Italians. The board of pub
lie works explains that few of the
older employees have to be retained
because of their fam iliarity with city
work.
No Evidence Of Graft
That men are being hired OF the
street in direct violation OF the or
ders of Mayor Curtis that no work be
given men who have not lived In the
city long enough to be bona hde resi-
dents, and then only through the city
labor bureA eAu. established for that
purpose, there seems to be little
doubt. One individual, who says ha
has been on a street job for the past
two months. claims there arc eight
or 10 others, none OF whom are citi-
zens or bona f1de residents on the
same gang now. He says there were
IA some time ago, but several left
for other jobs. When asked il he or
any of the others were paying for
their jobs, he replied that he was not
and he did not know OF any who
were. He admitted that he and his
fellow countrymen were hired by the
job foreman, to whom they went
when they were refused work at city
hall
Mayor Orders investigation.
''I have no personal knowledge OF
anything crooked going on in the de-
partment, but have heard the COM
plants and If there is anything wrong
I would like to see the proofs said
Mayor Curtis. Mayor Curtis admitted
that he has heard q number OF COM
plants and has asked the complain
ents to submit some proof, promising
immediate action as soon as proofs
are submitted. Recently he had City
Engineer J. D. Williams and Super
intendent of Streets Caldwell in con-
ference and instructed these men to
do what they could TO investigate the
charges.
Il hope we have no one doing any
thing crooked" saio the mayor, "but
If we find we have. just as soon as
we get proof, out they co.
At the labor bureau it was stated
that nothing was known about 1t, ex-
cept that occasionally Italians came
back and said they were discharged
after working but a few hours or a
whole day.
Will Sift Complaints
City officials are determined to sift
the charges to the bottom and some
interesting facts may come to light
or some ugly charges be disproven
before the investigation ends.
A few years ago there were rumors
about graft in the street department.
A foreman was selling dirt to people
who wanted it in their lots One
woman offered him 50 and he de-
manded $40. She complained to the
mayor and the foreman was dis
charged. Teamsters have been dis
charged in the history OF the city for
stunts very much similar.
Incompetents Dropped.
1t is said that one Of the foremen
Continued Sixteenth Paxea