Evening star., 1934-05-25
Senate Committee to Tackle
Grant of Funds for Ma
tionaI Inquiry.
STEP HELD NECESSARY
IN BUILDING STRIKE
Plasterers Refuse Contracts Pend
ing Action-Allen Pushes
Peace Plan.

dIUeTIOOIl 1OI ScbIlClilCllJ VI Vic Sd1
penters strike, Chairman Byrnes OF
the Senate Committee on Audit and
Control planned to call his committee
early next week to consider the
Walsh-Davis resolution to investigate
the "kick- back racket" and other al
legged abuses in the building industry
here, and throughout the country.
Commissioner Allen, who held
several conferences yesterday with
groups of carpenters and contractors,
was busy with a board meeting OF
the District Commissioners this MORN
ing, but said he would call in both
groups for further conferences this
afternoon in an attempt to settle the
strike which has tied up much con-
struction here since May /.
Renewed interest in the proposed
Senate inquiry into kick-back racket
came from several sources including
Senator Walsh, Democrat, of Massa-
chusetts, President William Green of
the American Federation of Labor,
and Plasterers' Local, No. 96, which
is on strike
Green and Walsh Confer.
Following a conference with Sen
ator Walsh yesterday afternoon, Pres
ident Green of the American Fedora
ton of Labor today sent to Chairman
ByrneS of the Senate committee on
Audit and Control a letter urging
early action on the "kick-back" reso-
luton. Green is understood to have
informed Senator ByrneS of the ap-
y@raoiofioa Of thn EioIoro
ton of Labor for what Senator Walsh
already had done in holding prelimi-
nary hearings on the alleged abuses.
He urged the Audit and Control Com
mittee to take immediate action on
the Walsh resolution. This resolu-
ton has been favorably reported by
the Senate Committee on Education
and Labor of which Walsh is chair
man, and is now before the Commit
tee on Audit and Control, because of
an item for expenditures in connection
with the inquiry. The inquiry would
be conducted by the Labor Committee,
No exact time has been fixed for
the Audit and Control Committee to
meet, but Senator Byrnes indicated
1t would be early next week. Action
on the Walsh resolution was recently
postponed because of absence of
Walsh.
Plasterers Are Aroused.
Aroused by what they considered
"dilly- -dallying" by the Senate over
the kick-back racket probe, the Plas-
terers' Union here last night fatty
refused to enter into any more con-
tracts with employers until some ac-
ton is taken by the Senate.
An official resolution to this effect
was sent to President Roosevelt. Vice
President Garner, Secretary of Interior
ICkeS, Secretary of the Treasury Nor
genthau, the Speaker of the House
and the District Commissioners.
A committee was appointed to con-
fer with officials at the District Build
ing. including Commissioner Allen,
and Senators to present the demands
of the plasterers. The plaSterers will
continue to work for contractors who
had entered into agreements for the
new scale of SITS an hour, and a
six-hour day, as of the date of May
a. yesterday, but will sign no more
contracts until the kick-back racket
probe appears to be on its way, the
plasterers declared kick-back rackets
were taking money not only out of
the pockets of labor, but also out of
the pockets of taxpayers, to put 1t
into the Golfers of contractors. APP
preparations were made out of tax
payers money, the plasterers claimed,
to pay the scale of SITS an hour, and
should go to the men for whom it
was intended.
Higher Scale Asked.
The plasterers are on strike for an
increase from the expired scale of
s1.5O an hour to SITS an hour and
a reduction of the work week from
40 to 30 hours. A jurisdictional dis
pute between plasterers and brick
layers still is pending in the Govern
ment Auditorium on Constitution ave-
nue., where members of the Brick
layers Union now are doing work for
merly done by members of the local
Plasterers' Union.
On the site of the old British
embassy, at Connecticut avenue and
N street, all building tradesmen were
ordered to cease work on new build
ing yesterday by the District Building
Trades Council in protest against the
action of the contractor, James l..
Parsons, jr., in hiring what the council
called "strikebreakerS."
At the Office of the contractor, 1t
was indicated early today that at
tempts probably would be made to
finish the building, service station
for the Goodyear Rubber Co., with
non-union labor
The general strike of all union
labor on this job was ordered follow
ing the pledge of the Building Trades
Council to stand firmly behind the
carpenters in their demands for
new scale. The carpenters are on
strike for an increase from 81 to
s1.371a an hour, and a reduction of
the work week from 40 to 80 hours.
VIII Act Against Firm.
John A. Locher. secretary of the
Washington Building Trades Council,
who returned last night from Hagers-
town, Md, where he attended a
union convention, said today a COM
mittee from the council will take
action today against the contractor.
Parsons This committee, Locher
said, will inform all department
stores and other persons with whom
Parsons is said to have regular con-
tracts for carpenter work, that Par
sons is mot using union labor" Com
plaint also will be formally. presented
to the Central Labor Union against
Parsons, Locher said.
The men used by Parsons in at
tempting to break the carpenters
strike on the Goodyear Building,
Locher said, belong to the so-called
'Technicians' Union" which he ex-
planned had been turned down by
the Board Of Labor Review of the