Evening star., 1934-06-22
PRESIDENT DROPS
|. PAY REQUIREMENT
Roosevelt Temporarily Sus-
pends Bacon-Da Law
Provisions.
CONTINUED From First page.)

N1Oht&4AaN4 EASA4A 1os 9bGsy
concerned to know that the commit
tee will not tolerate any interference
In its activities TO get information as
to exploitation OF labor or violations
Of the wage laws. ANY contractor
who attempts TO tntimidate any work.
man into Withholding evidence from
this committee will be dealt with by
such force as the committee can In
woke.
II want to guarantee to any worker
or to any one else who may have
information Of interest to the inves-
tigation that attempts at reprisal by
those who do not want the facts
brought to light will not be tolerated"
For nearly four hours yesterday
the committee neard testimony on
two complaints, one Of these involv-
ing the National Training School
case. The other case had to do with
the discharge of three laborers by a
contractor working on an addition to
Gallinger Hospital.
Kneas told the committee that
while working on the National Train
ing School job he had paid back over
a number Of weeks q total Of s108.
According to the testimony, the hrm
of Clarence w. Gosnell Inc, had the
job of painting the buildings. After
he had been working a short time,
Kneas asserted, Nash came UP to US
and said he absolutely could not pay
$l.37l2 an hour and would have to
get other men. He said II we wanted
to play ball we could talk to him."
Kneas told the committee he re-
piled that he could not work for less
than 81 an hour, and that Nash said
that would be o. K. with him."
Describes Repayment.
Kneas testified that he and his
companion were supposed to pay the
difference to Lauderback. On the
first pay day thereafter, Kneas said,
he and his companion waited at
bridge near Blsdensburg road, but no
one met them. On the next pay day,
Kneas testified the foreman told them
to meet him at 0 lunch room on
Bladensburg road. At that time, he
said, he and the other painter each
gave back to the foreman SIS. Kneas
testified that the repayments were
repeated each week, but at different
places.
In the other case, which did not
involve any charge Of kick-back pay
ments, the committee questioned a
number Of witnesses to determine why
three laborers were let out by D. M.
w. Engineering Corporation on the
Gallinger Hospital Job.
Fired Without Delay.
According to the testimony, George
e. Myers. Harry Swan and Robert D.
Harding had complained to the Com
missioners. through the laborers' local
union, that they were entitled to the
pay scale Of plumbers laborers in
stead Of the rate for common laborers,
and that they were dropped by Alex.
ander Steinfeld, superintendent OF the
firm, on the same day that Steinfeld
received q letter from the Commits
sioners informing him Of the COM
plaint.
Senator Walsh said the purpose Of
going into the matter was not 50
much to pass on the dispute as to
how the men should have been cias-
sifed, but to determine whether they
were let out because they had COM
planned.
Steinfeld and his attorney, Max z.
Greenberg, denied the men were laid
of because of the complaint, but be-
cause they were not needed at the
time.
The three men contended they had
been digging bitches IN which pipe was
to be laid, and that for such work they
were entitled to be classed as plumbers
laborers at 62h cents an hour, whereas
the pay they received as common Ia
borers was IS cents an hour.
Previous Job Costly.
Myers also told the committee that
after he had been let out at the Gal.
linger job, he was put to work at the
new City Post Once annex. He tes-
titled that after he had been at work
about 30 minutes one of those in
charge Of the work asked him II he was
one Of the men who had been working
on the Gallinger Job. and then paid
him for an hours work and dismissed
him.
J. J. Kramer, an official Of the B. w.
Construction Co, which has the gen.
eral contract on the City Post once
addition, told the committee he wanted
to make 1t clear Myers was hired by
the plumbing subcontractor and not
by the B. W. Co