The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-12-11
BY BURCK.

moditles generally, possible increases in con
struction which might take place with wage re-
visions, and unequal competition faced by those
paying the regular scale from builders able to
obtain workers at lower rates"
The lower prices prevailing in building ma
terials have served well the interest of these big
shots from the Employers Association to pile
more profits into their pockets. In spite of the
general crisis, in spite of their cry about the
nigh prevailing rates of union wages, the finan-
cal section of the N Y. Times, June H. reports
for the Thompson Starrett Co. for the year
ended April %, 1881, net profits for the fiscal
year higher than in the previous years. 1t Is a
net sum of $1,785,7O3. Similar are the reports
in the Moody investment records for the Fuller
Co. and the others OF these big shots.
In order to fool the building trades workers
they are making the careful statement that
revision IN wages (wage-cut) might possibly
bring increases In construction. (Possblyi Our
union officials seem to be more shameful takers
to tell us that an adjustment OF working condi-
lions with the Building Employers Association
will stimulate construction.l
The real facts are that these big shots who
control the policies of this employers associa-
ton have In their interest the disbursement
and elimination OF building construction Let
us look at some Of these big builders who are
the controlling factors in the employers asso-
ciation r.
The Manhattan Leasing Co. in years past built
blocks of great apartment houses in all sec
lions OF Manhattan and the Bronx sold them
on easy payments by financing the first, second
and third mortgages. Now In this crisis they
get these same houses back by the hundreds
by foreclosures and become the greatest land
lords In Greater New York. AS builders of new
houses they confine themselves to an insignifi-
cant number in the Bronx. But their main at
tention is concentrated on the alteration work
in the foreclosed apartment houses. This work
is, by the way, done by non-union labor, be-
cause our officials did not encourage the or
ganization OF the unorganized in the building
trades.
Now, as landlords. this company has surely
no interest in encouraging building construction
while many of the apartments in the hundreds
OF the houses they acquired are vacant.
The liabilities and circulation capital OF
Thompson Starrett and the others of their kind
Gas stated in the Moody's Investments Informa-
tom, proves that there at present mora
landlords and rent collectors than promoters OF
new construction in New York and vicinity.
And these big shots have a good substantial in
terest in banking institutions
To what an extent this limitation OF new
building construction Is actually going on in
Manhattan Borough is proven in the following
announcement made by Samuel Fassler, superin-
tendent OF buildings ON Dec. 3, 1881: 1.-The filed
plans for project on new buildings for Manhat-
tan Borough for the current month is 81 So, 100,
as compared with s21 &c., $50 in the same month
OF $780," which means drop almost to zero
The curtain was raised higher In Brooklyn ana
Greensboro where the newspapers brought to
us recently the fact that: 1.-THE Employer as
ISOLATION, real estate investors and group OF
the savings banks associations Of New York had
conference In the Williamsburg Saving Bank
to consider a. three years holiday for apart
ments and office buildings.
ION the basis Of statistics on vacancies in
apartment and office buildings in the borough,
states the report OF this conference, 1t was de-
cided to discourage tho general building o6
apartment houses and Office buildings In Brock
lyn and Queens for q period Of one year"-CYrum
N Y. Times OF Oct Ia, 1881
The above examples show that the interest
OF these institutions is to discourage building
construction In order to safeguard their incomes
from rent collecting; for that reason they are
interested also to eliminate the elements who
are now forced TO go on with building oc,skxso-
teE n order to exist. ,--..-...,
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