New-York tribune., 1921-12-16
Unions Ordered
BY Untermyer
To Mend Ways
ri
Tactics of Workers, Which
Retard Building, Must Be
Eliminated i'm All Future
Dealings With Employers
New Brick Probe Begun
Labor Warned to Cease
Costly Demands Creating
Work at Expense of Trade

An ultimatum was issued TO labor
unions of the building trades yester-
day by Samuel Urtermyer, chief coun-
sci for the Lockwood legislative com
mittce that is investigating the high
cost OF building and the causes of re-
tarded construction.
1t set forth that certain practices
must be eliminated from their deal
ings with employers and contractors
if they wished to avoid prosecution
which would have behind it the full
influence of the Lockwood committee.
These practices the unions were given
until January / to abolish.
In addition to public statement
Mr.. Untermyer had labor officials be-
fore the committee at two private ses-
sions, where, it is understood, the
necessity for reforming their methods
was made plain.
Brick Marketing Analysed
At the afternoon hearing Mr. Unter-
mayer started another probe into the
brick marketing situation, declaring
that despite indictments Of manu-
facturers and the fact that number
of trials growing out of previous ex-
posures were pending there was evil
deace that the brick combination had
not been broken.
The next public hearing. the COM
mittee announced, will be held Jan
uary 3.
The closeting of labor unionists
with the committee followed detailed
statement ,-hich Mr. Untermyer made
at the beginning of the day.
quite number of the transactions
testified to here constitute crimes
under the laws of this state" Mr.. I'm
termyer said. "The fact that labor
unions are immune from punishment
nnder the antitrust law does not make
them immune from all the laws.
ITO illustrates: in the plasterers'
union the requirement that the con-
tractor shall break up his stock
modeis, so as to give more work TO the
pasterer is 8 conspiracy injurious to
trade under the Penal Law
ANY man who earnestly believes in
the lnstlAution of organized labor can
not look on and, in the interests of or
sanlzed labor, see these abuses con-
iinue. My suggestion is that we al
low the unions until January to do
away with these vicious regulations,
and il they are rescinded | should be
n favor OF letting the prosecution stop
there. If they do not see fit to elimi-
nate them then let them take the con-
sequences
Labor Heads Summoned
Aftor tro ,v,ory,i>,o -,
Pearl, chairman of the executive COM
aittee; NJ. H. Gallagher. president and
recording secretary. and Michale Cal
loran, all of the plasterers' union, were
summoned into the committees private
office. At the close of the afternoon
q dozen or more labor officials filed
into the Office and did not emerge for
an hour and a half,
Some of the abuses complained of
are the limitation Of union membership
and the sale of permit cards. that
allow men to work but do not give
them union membership; the imposing
of fines of various sorts on employers
and employees; the requiring Of a
foreman" over two men; the censor
ing of architects designs by the unions,
and the demand that models for plaster
work be destroyed when used once.
Beginning his second brick investi-
cation since the committee came into
existence, Mr.. Untermyer found but
one manufacturer who was willing to
waive immunity This was Denton
Fowler. Of U. F. Washburn & Co. and
Of 3. Fowler jr. & Co., both OF Haver-
straw.
Producing an Office record Of the
Greater New York Brick Company, Mr..
Untermycr turned to page that
showed that out Of total of 994 barges
OF brick coming to New York 800 were
sent to this company, with 229 barges
to William II. Barnes, Of Barnes, Me-
Namara & Morrissey.
Stock in the Greater New York COM
pany, selling agency. the witness
said was apportioned on machine capac-
itv of the sixty members of the brick
combine. The capital is $4,000. The
witness insisted that it made not more
than 80 per cent of the New York
sales. Prices are now from Sl3 to
SIS thousand, he said.
Card Record Produced
Mr. Untermyer produced card for
identification, one mailed each week to
members, showing the. number OF
harges arriving. the sales, condition
Of the market and other details.
AT the morning session Mr.. Inter
myer served notice that if reports that
Brooklyn tile men had returned to the
ofenses for which they were fined
in the Federal courts proved true
ne would at once move for Grim
inal prosecution in the state courts.
Continuing the line of examination
of labor men begun yesterday, he
showed that certain types Of plumbing
accessories were barred by the plumb
ers' union, that factories were not
allowed to assemble fittings, and
charged that union membership was
kept down in order to keep wages up.
Sy the testimony Of Fred Deagan it
was shown that Chapman, the former
brindell agent, who will come to trial
in January, has been retained as bust
ness agent of the plumbers at meet
ing Tor which no written notices were
sent.
Also examined were Thomas Nc
Murray. of the painters union. and
Roger Corbetta, of the cement masons,