The New York herald., 1921-06-09
POLICE GRAFT seen
IN STRIKE BREAKING
One Mysterious Check Said to
Have Been Drawn for
$4,000 or 100000.
LABOR UNIONS BAFFLED
Quick Suppression of Trouble
I'm Brooklyn Being Investi-
gated by Albany Probers.
LABOR UNIONS BAFFLED

Two veins of pay dirt-which in
police terms means real money-have
been hit by the investigators of the
Joint legislative committee which is
digging into the municipal administra-
ton.
Has the power of the Police De-
partment been sold in the open mar
ket and directed against labor unions?
What is the connection between the
city's police, big private agencies con-
Quoted by men said to have some
secret connection with headquarters
and the labor unions which have run
I'D against some mysterious and baf-
fling power they could not combat or
understand?
In answer to these questions. the
investigators say, they expect to find
the underground connection whereby
outside agencies have been permitted
TO use the city's police power to the
disadvantage Of unions.
In at least half a dozen cases 1t Is
said that the police cooperated with a
private agency in breaking a strike.
In the case OF Brooklyn railroad
corporation there were two strikes
about one year apart. In the first the
police did nothing and the strike
lasted for weeks. In the second a
private agency was employed. The
police became active. The strike was
Broken in one day.
who Got the Big Checks
1t Is this second strike which will be
the subject Of the closest scrutiny. One
bsx check is said to have passed in that
strike, and II Is believed to have repre-
sented the price of the police power to
break the strike. The figure of that
check is placed all the way from $4,000
to 100000. The private agency had no
trouble recruiting It's force. City po-
licemen and detectives are declared to
have operated with their official badges
as employees OF the private agency.
There are numerous strike transac-
tions to be investigated. II is understood
into the conduct of the clothing strike,
already brought to official attention
Graft is alleged to have passed in sew
eral of those transactions.
An amazing incident in municipal gov
ernment which is being investigated is
In the sale Of pushcart Licenses. Twelve
supervisors of markets were subpnnaed
before the committee yesterday. They
are not city employees. but act as agents
for the city in collecting 81 a week
each from the holders of pushcar,
licenses Tho total amount collected ID
about $4,000 year. The supervisors
for the most part are Tammany hench-
men.
where Pushcart Fees Go.
Just why outsiders are employed to
collect this revenue Is not made clear as
yet. The investigators will find out why
the funds do not go to the city instead
Of outside collectors. Out OF his fees
tho supervisor is supposed to pay an
assistant $s5 a week and to pay for
cleaning his market. He pockets the
balance.
Isaac Lubin OF 3st Georgia avenue
Brooklyn, complained to the Corporation
Counsel that he had been called before
the legislative committee on false rep
resentations and questioned. Lubin Is
an assistant OF James J. Morris, and
the latter is from the district of which
James r. Sinnott, father Of the Mayors
secretary. is leader. Morris supervises
100 pushcarts.
| Revision of the city's charter is the
most important subject before the New
York public to-day. Senator Schuyler
Meyer. chairman Of the committee, said
yesterday In his FIRST public statemen,
defining the purposes of the committee
| The government now is bad, he said, and
no set of officials could get results with
such a system.
"As II stands to-day" the statement
said, "the charter is a vast, inchoats
aggregation of laws, organic and admin
istrative. rciterative. repeatitivc. ioosel,
woven, clumsy and hopelessly redundant
rt represents a series of compromise,
amended by clauses often dictated b,
special or party interests. The govern
ment Il sets UP must, OF necessity. b.
bulky and top heavy. Legally and struc.
turaily. It Ia archaic.
This committee is Investigating tn,
laws Of the city as we'll as their admin