New-York tribune., 1922-01-24
Labor to Study
Untermyer's
Building Plan
Unions to Take Up To-day
$lOO. 100000 Project to
Decide on Best Method
10 Push Housing Relief
Employers Await Details
Criticism Of Idea Made by
One Insurance Company
Head: Another Is Silent

The building trades unions Of New
York g. represented by the Building
Trades Council. viii take urdcr for
nal consideration t,is morning tive
plan Of Samuel Untcrmyer, chief coun-
sci for the Lockwood Legislative hous-
ing committee. for the construction Of
1900 apartment houses, a $l00,000.000
project, to relieve the citys housing
situation.
1t was said by Patrick Crowley. pres
idcnt Of the council. that practically
all the building trades union leaders
ARE in favor o the general outline OF
the plan as II VAS revealed by NJ.
/ Cnto1myo: ON Sunday. but that the de-
tails and ramitications Of so gigantic
an undertak ing were so numerous that
the unions would have to give the mat
ter extensive preliminary study before
EN- bs ing on definite course concern
ing it.
Labor to Make Sacrifices
"|n general wsy tho project is a
very fac one" said Mr.. Crowley. 81
know shat it il thc sentiment Of ali
tnc buildin. trades uaIors that they
arc willing to make sacrifices ii tic
event that the financial and building
interests united are also o., a basis Of
making sacrifices, to relieve the hous-
ing S.IudllCD ItT WOTkInG people.
Several union leaders were not quite
sure what VAS meant by Mr.. Unter~
myers statement to the effect that the
workers had come forward with sn
offer to contribute one day in .~ery
six "in order to keep down the wage
item in the construction of the apart
ments.' None was willing to say that
union members would give their serv-
ices 70 such an extent, or that they
would even be asked TO Go so. How
ever, al! statements Tor publication Oh
the subject we're Withheld pending to-
days meeting.
Heads Of tho Building Trades En-
ployers Association withheld comment
on the plan. All that G. G.. Norman.
Chairman Of the board Of governors Of
the association, would say relative to
it was that he "didn't see how tbs
building material dealers could cut
their prices any further, as they are
now sailing Very close to the wind but
II might be we'll to see what the manu-
iacturers are willing to do"
Only one adverse criticism Of the
plan was heard. This came from
Charles j. Peabody, president of the
Mutual Life INSURANCE Company, whicl,
vas criticized BY Mr.. Untcrmyer whcr
DC compared it with the Metropolitan
i,i'e insurance Company. which is nut
! forward as the chief fuanciai bacLey
OF the project.
Criticism by Peabody
81 dor't think any intelligent man
takes the plan seriously" said Mr.. Pea
body That is all | care TO say"
Ia the absence IRON. town of Darwi,,
T Kingsley, president of the New YORK
Life Insurance Company, 40 other oil
c'al Of tnat concern would make a
statement.
One organization that came on.
heartily in favor of the proposal was
the Builders Guild, composed os
jourpcymen in the building trades now
engaged in constructing houses on the
cooperative plan. r. c. Bredenha pp,
manager Of the guild, aad that labor
will be willing TO give its cheerful co.
operation to Mr.. Untc,myer and the
plan. on the basis Of the living wage. i
The financial. manufacturing and bus;-
ness interests will unite in backing il
on the unseliisb plan as outlined BY
MIR. Untermyer."
letter asking that the emergency