New-York tribune., 1922-03-19
The Building Halt
Wage Reduction and Open Shop as
Remedies for Housing Shortage

Wage Reduction and Open Shop as
Remedies for Housing Shortage
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The Lockwood committee has
brought out many facts In connection
with the building situation in New
York which the public ought to know,
and doubtless some Of its suggestions,
If embodied in law. would be helpful
in relieving the housing shortage, but
as your editorial OF last Tuesday we'll
said. capital will go into house build
ing when house building is found to
be sound and profitable investment,
not before"
1t is strange that the Lockwood COM
mlttee has not up to the present time
been able to grasp this feature Of the
situation. 1t is reported as believing
that the working of economic laws can
not relieve the present shortage of
dwellings. Now, on the contrary, that
is exactly the way it will be relieved if
1t IS relieved at all and the committee
Will find that the enforcement of the
prohibition law is easy compared with
the enforcement Of law compelling
people to invest in housing operations
under conditions which insure that
such investment will prove Improbable.
Mr.. Untermyer has had great deal
to say about the criminal operations of
Mr.. Brindell and he has done the pub
lie great service in temporarily
checking that gentleman's campaign
for higher building costs, but as re-
suit of Brindell's act the wages of q
large majority Of the building
mechanics in New York were raised
from IS day to 50 day within
three months from the time that an
agreement had been signed between
the Building Trades Employers Asso-
citation and the Building Trades Coun-
Gil fixing The lower figure for term
of two years.
Although this demand Of Brindclrs
was enforced against the protest Of the
employers who weakly allowed the
unions to default on their agrecmcnt,
and although the two years have now
expired and the cost OF living Is ap~
proxlmately 90 per cent lower than it
was when the unions agreed to the
S8 rate, they are now demanding that
the SO rate be continued indefinitelv.
and Mr.. Unterrlyer's suggestion that
this be done would fasten the present
exorbitant labor costs on the building
industry an1 the present cxorbitsnt
rentals on the workmen themselves,
FOR be Il remembered that the work
/ ,ngnlan Is the greatest sufferer from
| the present situation.
While the efficiency Of the union
workman has considerably increase ed
during the last eighteen months, there
/ ls still room for improvement In this
respect, and the restrictions which
have been placed by tbs unions upon
apprentices, together with their insist
cnce upon ths closed shop, both at the
building site and in tho manufacture of
building materials, have built Chinese
wall around the situation which will
continue to defy the public welfare
until 1t Is broken down. Let the pub
lie demand that there shall be abao-
iutely no restrictions placed upon the
employment in building operations Of
any one desiring and competent to
work, regardlesg of union affiliations
or not, and the ECONOMIC lava which
the Lockwood committee discarda will
very quickly assert themselves. The
process Of liquidation must run It's
course III the building industry as else
where, and the right to work euarsn-
teod by the Constitution must, in the
final analysis, be preserved alike TO all.
". A. GARR1GUES.
| New York, March IS, 1922.