Evening star., 1933-07-28
CONTRACTOR MUST
MAKE UP SCHOOL
WAGE SHORTAGES.
Commissioners Enter Com
promise With CataIano Cor
poration at Hearing.
BACON-DAVlS ACT SCALE
VIOLATED, BRIDE HOLDS
"Too Many Contractors Disregard
Obligation of Law" Says Rul-
ing, limiting at Profteering.

The Commissioners today entered
into q compromise with the Catalano
Construction Corporation of Baltimore,
under which the city heads would over
look underpayments of the workers OF
that concern on its promise to make
good to its workers their pay shortages.
In reaching the decision in a con-
ference with representatives OF the cor
poration this morning, the Commits
sioners had before them an opinion by
Corporation Counsel William w. Bride,
in which he held that evidence at
public hearing last week clearly showed
that the wage scales Of the Bacon
Davis act had been violated. The Bride
opinion said in part:
LAS I view the present situation the
complaints against three contractors
have been amply substantiated and they
stand convicted of knowingly violating
the provisions of the Bacon-Davis act,
which is quite as much a part of the
contract as is the character of the ma
terials and workmanship going into the
makeup Of this building.
Too Often Disregarded.
"Too many contractors, since the act
clined to view this law as an obligation
which they may disregard without fear
of the consequences If the number Of
complaints of attempts to avoid this
requirement is a safe guide.
And this leads me TO suggest to the
Commissioners that perhaps a different
policy from the one heretofore adhered
to in dealing with such cases might
more effectively insure compliance with
the wage scale provisions Of such con-
tracts as contain them.
Heretofore. as the Commissioners
are aware. the only penalty, if such 1t
may be called, that contractor suffers
when complaints of this kind are estab-
lished, is to do what he originally con-
tracted to do. This fact I am convinced
has heretofore encouraged some con-
tractors to profiteer at the expense of
their employees"
The Commissioners and the Cata-
lano agreed that the rates for car
penters are 81 an hour and for brick
layers. $150 an hour. The company
was paying so and 60 cents for car
penters and 621a for bricklayers.
No agreement was reached as to what
the rates for hod carriers and laborers
and these points were turned over to
Mr.. Bride for later decision. The
company was paying IS cents an hour
for hod carriers and Is cents for
laborers.
Disputes Printed Data.
After the conference broke up, David
Wiener, attorney for the construction
company, said that The Star had been
in error when it reported two days
ago that Is workmen who testified
against the concern at the public hear
ing had been fired. He said not, as
many as Is men had testified. Asked
how many had been fired, he said:
"At least so were laid of, but that
was because the concrete had hardened
and not because they testified"
He said that his concern would make
good the back pay alike to those who
had been laid off and to those who had
not. Asked if he was willing to sup
port President Roosevelt by putting in
a 40-cent-per-h hour minimum wage, he
said: I'VE could do our work much
cheaper by following the blanket code,
but, of course, We are going to support
the President"
After the meeting the Commissioners
said that they had confined their atten-
tion strictly to the case before them
and had not evolved any policy to be
followed in connection with the next
contractor caught violating the act.
Since 1t went into effect in 1881 there
have been at least 20 contracts as to
which similar complaints have been
made In at least three cases the con-
tractors admitted the underpayment,
but in no case has the contract ever
been Cancelled.