Evening star., 1934-06-10
WALSH TO PRESS
k|CK-BACK PROBE
Ready for Labor Quiz This
Week-LocaI Strike Move
Is Forecast.
As three strikes continued to tie up

As three strikes continued to tie up
an increasing volume of public con-
struction throughout the National
Capital, Chairman Walsh of the Sem
ate Committee on Education and
abor planned to launch actively this
week into the recently authorized
sweeping probe of alleged abuses in
the construction Industry such as the
kick back racket"
Senator Walsh held several con-
ferences during the past few days
with labor leaders here. and is under
stood to have outlined in detail the
program for the investigation.
The probe will go into the situation
not only in this city, where charges
of "kick back" and other abuses have
been aired already before the Senate
committee, but also into the Govern
ment's building program in other
cities throughout the country.
The carpenters strike, in effect
since May /, moved into new ground
over the week end. with prospect that
some kind of fresh developments may
come late tomorrow afternoon or to-
morrow night.
Builders Meet Tomorrow.
The Master Builders Association.
which Friday afternoon withdrew all
its previous offers in compromise on
the carpenters strike, will meet to-
morrow afternoon to consider the
entire situation. Among some mem
bers there appears to be considerable
sentiment toward an open shop, but
no decision has been reached, and 1t
was said there was no predicting what
may take place at the meeting.
The carpenters District council
will meet tomorrow night to survey
the strike, and probably take up the
proposal of arbitration. o. c. Rick
ard, president of the council, indi-
Gated last night that arbitration in
all likelihood will be presented to the
council in some form. Arbitration Is
understood to have been brought up
at a recent conference in the ofhce
OF District Commissioner George Z.
Allen. Whether the organized car
penters here will favor it remains
question.
To submit the question of carpen-
ters' wages to arbitration would also
necessitate participation by the Mas
ter Builders Association. What part
the big out-of-town builders might
take in such a move Is a question
which never has been cleared. Most
of the big Federal construction work
in the city is being done by contrac-
tors who do not belong to the Master
Builders Association. But these con-
tractors have followed the association
in the past, because of the fact that
Government contracts provide for
payment of the prevailing wage, un-
der the Bacon-Davis wage law. The
agreements reached between the Mas
ter Builders Association and the
unions usually are recognized BY the
Department of Labor as the prevail
ing wage, under the Bacon-Davis pre-
vailing wage law controlling the Sit
uation.
Offers Rejected.
The carpenters twice have refused
to approve terms agreed to by their
own wage committee, after turning
down the builders first offer of a 10
cent an hour raise. The three COM
promises rejected by the carpenters
include an increase from the old 81
per hour rate on an eight-hour day
to $1.l0 for an eight-hour day. $l.25
for an eight-hour day. and SIPS for
an eight-hour day and four-day week.
The general strike on triplet build
ings-Department of Labor, Inter-
state Commerce Commission and Gov
ernment Auditorium-appears to be
more tightly tied up than ever, since
the Operative Plasters Union went
into court asking injunctions against
its rival union, the bricklayers. This
comes to q hearing In court June Is.
Union plasterers throughout the
CITY are on strike for an increase from
81 SO to SITS an hour and q six-hour
day.