New-York tribune., 1921-05-26
Building Probe
Ends as Protest
Against Fines
tceetInued frem page ens,

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publication in connection with the
committees work. FOR which, he said
nc had the highest appreciation. Mr.
ontermyer thereupon regretted the re-
marks he read into the record. in con.
nection with the affair.
Inc session. however, was marked
with other important DEVELOPMENTS in
connection with the exposure Of the
Tile and mantle contractors' and mann
1acturers' combines that had the entire
country IN their grip. With respect to
one of these organizations Mr.. Inter
myer charged that it's minute book had
been tanpered with and that pages had
been substituted end interpolated. He
ordered the evidence be sent at once to
the District Attorney for action.
Tile Settlers Attempt Graft
The testimony developed that dele
gates of tile setters' union had at
tempted TO collect graft from tile con-
tractors in return for permitting union
mechanics to work Cor them. This was
done, it was said, in face Of national
agreement between the workers and
contractors in this phase of the build
ing industry whereby the union men
were TO work for none but members of
the contractors organizations.
1t was further charged by Mr.. Inter
myer, and evidence produced to back it
up, that as q result Of these coubina-
tions tile for flooring and walls had
been boosted 140 per cent since 1915.
reduction of 90 per cent in practice ally
all kinds Of tile, it developed, went into
effect on May II of this year. Mr.. I'm
termyer traced the decline directly to
the effects Of the committees inquiry.
After referring TO the recent action
of the courts in dealing with violators
of the antitrust laws, Mr.. Untermyer
said:
IF this committee had the power of
subpoena of Congressional commit
tee it could profitably spend two years
OF more in getting at the facts. We
have still barely scratched the surface.
and that only in a superficial way
There has not been the power, the
money or the time to do what should
be done to make a thorough job.
I'VE shall press the recommends
been made by the committee and shall
ask Congress to amend the Federal
laws IN like manner so as to compel
the imposition of prison sentences.
Authorities Asked to Keep Watch
Until this committee is in position
to present q comprehensive construc-
tive plan of legislation in the form of
drastic Federal and state supervision
and control of trade associations,
which hope will come as the result of
the public authorities must be urged to
keep a close watch of the effects Of
this investigation on the practices of
these associations and to ascertain
whether the promises of dissolution
made to the committee have been kept
1T IS no longer a question of which
industries are controlled through COM
blnatlons or associations, but of which
are not so controlled, and where they
are to be found. l have been unable to
discover single article that enters
into building construction that is not
the subject of combination, and have
every reason to believe that this is
true of at least one-half of all the vast
industries of the United States outside
CT the building trades. The activities
of those that are unlawful should re-
ceive the same kind Of attention tnat
the Secret Service gives to counterfeit
ers or that the expert safe-crackers
receive at the hands of the police.
My concrete suggestion at this stage
is, therefore, that I be commissioned
in the name of the committee to ad-
dress communications to the Attorney
General Of tie United States, the Fed
eral Trade Commission and the Attor-
ney General of the state, with accom-
panying lists of the three classes of
combinations above described, that are
believed to be operating contrary to
law, urging that their investigators
keep in touch with and report from
time to time upon the activities Of the
members of those of them that are
claimed to have disbanded. as we'll as OF
those that have pretended TO do so and
those that are still openly operating.
The worst breeding nest for the
local combinations thet are operating
iii violation OF law is the Building
Trades Employers Association, to
whose operation counsel proposes to
give close study with a view to deter
mining whether there are sufficient
grounds for criminal prosecutions
against the responsible officials of that
association. What q pity that this
cancer upon the building trade cannot
be treated like an ordinary gambling
den or liquor still and be raided and
broken up by the policel
May l at this point be permitted a
personal word by way Of a note of
warning? I am no alarmist and have
confidence in the soundness
of our institutions, but my great fear
is that the country either does not |
sufficiently realize or has become cal
lous to the perils that lurk in the
social unrest that is being accentuated
by the greed and piracy Of these com
binations that infest the land from
end to end.
They are all-powerful. 1t is still
the biggest and moat dangerous of
;hem apparently are already above and
beyond the law as it now stands. That
The law has failed to reach them is
lie lemonstrated hv the fact that tha,: