Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-22
Capital Men Oppose Giving
Contract to w. P. Rose
Company.
WAGE STANDARDS CITED
BEFORE FEDERAL BOARD
Builders Blamed for Accidents on
Other Contracts in Washington.
Board Studies Contentious.
Vigorous opposition to awarding Of

vigorous opposition to awarding Of
contract for construction of the tuber-
culosis building at st. Elizabeth'S Hos
pltaI TO the w. p. Rose Co, North
| Carolina builders, was made by a dele
cation from organized labor and build
ing trades bodies at the Department
OF the Interior today.
Headed by John B. Colpoys of the
Central Labor Union the group APP
peared before the board appointed by
Secretary Wilbur to consider bids for
construction of the building.
Colpoys as spokesman objected to
consideration of the Rose Co.'S low bid
Tor the job and charged the North
carolina concern with being destroy
ers OF the set standards of organized
labor and worse than murderers.
Colpoys told the board the Adams
Construction Co. bid, third lowest. could
be made lower than the Rose bid bv
eliminating alternates pertaining to a
roadway and the installation of window
shades.
Protesting Telegram Read.
Delegates said the Department OF
Commerce and the War Department in
two recent awards eliminated alter
mates in order that a contract would
go to some concern other than the
Rose Co
A telegram protesting award of the
contract to the Rose &C., which was
sent by the Maryland State and Dis
trict of Columbia Fedora ton of Labor
TO DR.. w. A. White. superintendent of
st. Elizabeth's Hospital; Secretary Will
Dur and Gen. Frank Hines of the Vet
Grams Bureau, was read by Colpoys.
The telegram stated in part: "At this
time, when the President of the United
States is endeavoring to protect wage
scales that will permit workers of the
country to live in decency and comfort,
the w. p. Rose Co., which employs
mechanics and laborers at wages which
vary from 40 to so per cent lower thar
the lowest wage scale there is is low
bidder for the tuberculosis Building at
st. Elizabetn's Hospital"
Refers to Accidents.
Colpoys referred to two recent acct
dents on Rose company jobs in Wash
! 1ngton, one of which was fatal. He
said: IF an employer Is so careless in
the protection of lives of his employees,
he certainly cannot be regarded rs O
responsible builder"
1t is understood that the four lowest
bidders for the hospital Job, for which
an appropriation of $500, 900 was made,
also includes the Virginia Construction
Coleman Construction Co. of Rosslyn,
Va. Delegates insisted that only the
Adams and Coleman companies could be
regarded as likely to produce the best
grade of work and employ local union
labor.
Dr. White, who was absent in New
York. was represented by M. Sanger,
EliZabeth's Hospital. Other members of
the Governments board present in
cluded w. B. Acker, chief clerk of the
Interior Department. and Col. Louis H.
Trip, chief Of the construction division
of the Veterans Bureau.
Sanger Speaks for Board.
Mr. Sanger in behalf of the board ex-
pressed sympathy with labor views of
the protesting delegation and said its
expressions would be considered in
awarding the contract. He said the
contract specified that the builder to
which it be awarded must abide by pre-
vailing wage scales in employment Of
labor
The lowest Washington bidder, Mr.
Sanger said. was the George E. Wyne
Co., which was tenth lowest on the list.
Included in the protesting delegation
were Charles E. Young, executive secre-
tary of the Washington Building Trade
Council; Edward j. Murphy, president
of the Buy in Washington Council;
Charles j. Columbus, representing the
Building Employers Association; Samuel
Terry, representing electrical contrac-
tors; John E. Faulconer, representing
sheet metal contractors; P. Scales, rep
resenting stone cutters; H. Buye, rep
resenting painters; Thomas Lane, rep
resenting bricklayers, and James Dewey.
representing the Department of Labor.
No representative of the Rose company
was present.