The New York herald., 1921-05-13
Letter Reveals Hope of Lid
on Regulation Of Steel
Being Lifted When Ar
mistice Is Signed.
ROOFERS FACE SCRUTINY
Lockwood Sends Cumberland
Street Hospital Scandal to
Kings District Attorney
for Prosecution.

Revelations Of the activities of still
another trade combination, this time
the Association of Architectural Iron
Workers, that did its bit TO make
building construction almost prohibit
tive by profiteering on labor at rate
sometimes as high as 200 per cent,
occupied the attention yesterday OF
the Lockwood Committee along with
other developments.
The disclosures were made after
Samuel Untermyer, chief counsel for
the committee, had read into the rec
ord a statement characterizing the
Cumberland Street Hospital job as
"brazen gouging" Of the city and
scandal of the first magnitude BY
direction of Senator Charles G. Lock
wood, chairman, the record of the
hospital grab was sent to District
Attorney Lewis of Kings County TO
he submitted. to the Grand Jury.
Another feature was the introduc-
tion of evidence showing the fear
at least some Of the organizations
under inquiry had for some of the
Governments 81 year men who did
their bit to block profiteering during
the war, and how quickly after the
armistice they began to lay plans
for reimbursement" of prices. 1t
was in the form Of letter from
George ID. McIlvaine, secretary OF the
National Pipe and Supply Association.
with headquarters in Pittsburgh, 70
F. M. Sheldon Of the firm Of Braman
Dow & Co. of Boston written eighteen
days after the armistice, to the effect
that the anticipated departure OF J.
Leonard Replogle for Europe would
mean every little further control OF
the steel supply"
GouRing with Labor Bills.
The practice of the ornamental and
architectural iron contractors In add
ing anywhere from 100 TO 200 per
cent to their labor bills and charging
IL against the unfortunate owner or
builder was revealed through Frank
J. Steckenreiter. a former president OF
the contractors organization. Before
ne left the stand the witness. who had
waived immunity from criminal prose
cution, admitted that the principles
upon which the organization worked
were wrong "if worked to the limit"
and agreed that it was about time 1t
should disband.
Confronted with documentary evil
dence the witness admitted freely that
one Of tho functions OF his organisa-
ton was to meet, compare. talk over
and fix" prices for jobs. One OF tho
most highhanded features of this or
ganization's procedure was an "arb-
tration COMMITTEES" that was to con-
slider controversies between owners
and contractors growing out of claims
against the former by the latter. I'm
til these claims were settled Mr.. In
termyer showed, no other member ot
the organization could take up the ur-
finished job. This effectively called
halt on the work. inasmuch as mem
bers OF the organization were the only
contractors able to get journeymen
workers
Mr.. Untermyer showed that i'm such
cases the law provided for mechanics
liens against the property as guar
antee for the contractor and asked IL
the organizations drastic regulation
did not mean that II substituted its
committee for the courts.
That's about the size OF It," the Wit
ness replied.
Wei. don't you think that's a pretty
large sized order In a civilized COM
munity?" asked Mr.. Untermyer.
Mr. Untermyer showed from records
OF the Association OF Architectural Iron
Workers that the scale OF pay on con-
tract work was SO day for a fin.her
and 81 a day for a helper. total oc
si6 day. For this the owner or builder
was charged sac. The only Justification
offered was that the overhead had 70
come ont Of the profit. but being pressed
to tell what the overhead was on an
outSius Joo thS Nllh"Ss S@tu " lHGluut1
compensation insurance and the vases
of timekeeper.
Paid s47, hut Charged siss.
For inside jobs. mot on a contract
basis. the profit 70 the contractor was
even greater. An inside hnisher In 1918
got s27 a week and his helper go a
total Of s4T, for a forty-eiEht hour week.
For this service the associations price
to the owner was SO an hour. or at the
rate or sf44 n week. Another restric-
tive regulation the architectural iron
mon have was one that made IL inpera-
tive for = builder 10 let any contract
for additional work on a Job In process
to the original contractor
An example OF disciplininE = member