Evening star., 1934-06-13
Contractors Report Three
Carpenters Beaten by
PicketS.
PRESIDENT OF LABOR
UNIT EN- ROUTE HERE
Contractors Act After Telling
City Heads They Can Await
Cancellation No Longer.
BULLETIN.

The first violence in the carpen-
ters strike situation broke out TO-
day on the Church of the Refor-
nation. at East Capitol and Sec
ond streets, when five alleged
union carpenters were reported
by contractors TO have attacked
several carpenters who were at
work under the $110-per-hour
wage offered by contractors to
break the strike.
William Gray, 46, Of 325-A
Bates street. who was working on
the roof, suffered a broken nose
and cuts on the face. He was
treated at Casualty Hospital and
was allowed to go home. The
five outsiders also were reported to
have beaten another man on the
roof and another carpenter in the
cellar.
Maj. Ernest W. Brown, chief Of
police. Immediately ordered a spe-
cial detail of police assigned to
all buildings being constructed
throughout the city.
Nine contractors today sounded a
call for experienced carpenters
preferably but not necessarily union
men, to go to work at $110 an hour
for an eight-hour day to break the
carpenters strike which started May /.
This followed a conference this
morning at the District Building,
where representatives of this group of
general contractors told District Com
missioners Hazen and Allen they
could wait no longer for conciliatory
efforts to settle the strike.
Meantime, 1t was learned that Will
liam L. Hutchinson. president of the
carpenters union, on learning latest
developments had hastily left New
York for the Capital.
p. w. A. Rate Used.
The contractors offer specifies it is
under the rate used by the Public
Works Administration here.
The call for carpenters was made
in advertisements inserted in news
papers this afternoon. 1t followed
the recent offer of the Master Build
ers' Association, which claims that
today they had about rs carpenters
on the new rate. Union leaders
denied there were so many men at
work
Pickets, meantime, have been sent
out by the Carpenters Union to
watch all jobs from which the car
penters are on strike.
Contractors, however. are not ex-
pecting violence, according to Harry
D. Watts, vice president of James
Stewart & Co., who has had a lead
ing part in the new general con-
tractors move.
No Violence Expected.
I'VE believe the building trades will
behave themselves as they have in
the past and will not resort to vio-
lence," said Watts We have told
the District Commissioners that we
have put on no additional guards. but
are using only our regular guard
force. The Commissioners can do
what they desire about asking the
police to protect the public, but for
us we expect that the recruiting of
carpenters and whatever picketing the
union may do will pass of in an
orderly way"
The delegation which carried the
last-minute message to District Com
missioners HAGEN and Allen this
morning included Watts and two
representatives of the George A.
Fuller Co., Vice Presidents Walter
Distler and Robert Whitney.
Back of the carpenters in their
fight is the Washington Building
Trades Council. including all the
building crafts operating in this city.
ITO Act Quickly"
The council met last night and
heard detailed reports of the situation
The council took no action because it
already had decided to act quickly in
case strike breakers were put on the
carpenters jobs.
John Locher, secretary of the Build
ing Trades Council. said today the
situation was one of "watchful wait
ing" to see what will happen next.
Reports had reached the council, he
said, to indicate that many contractors
in the city are now employing car
penters at $l.371a an hour and that
several other contractors were look
ing with "disfavor" on the move of
other contractors to put men to work
at $1.10. The carpenters have de-
manded $l.371z an hour and a six
hour day.
One member of the Master Build
ers' Association referred to the situ-
alton today as follows:
I'VE are offering an open shop.
That's what it is. We employ car
penters at $1.10 an hour for an eight
hour day. I know of about five DIFF
ferent contractors who have put on
men under this open shop plan.
There are about rs such carpenters
working in Washington now"
Labor leaders claim the P. W. A.
scale Is not an agreement with labor.
List of Contractors.
The nine contractors who signed
the advertisement calling for expert
enced carpenters" were: James Stew
art q Co., constructing the Interstate
Commerce Commission. Labor Depart
ment and Government Auditorium;
George A. Fuller Co., which has the
Supreme Court, Department of Jus
tice and Archives Buildings; James
Baird Co., Remington Rand Building
at Thirteenth and F streets and Ston-
leigh Court Apartment at Connecticut
avenue and L street; John W. Cowper
Co., Calvert Street Bridge; Walter
Kidde Co, Federal warehouse: Nc
Shain Co., annex to Congressional
Library and Internal Revenue Build
ing at Tenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue: Consolidated Engineering Co.,
Howard University; Herzog Co., build
ing at st. Elizabeth's Hospital and
Mcrinekov n Co Woodrom UTilsnr,