Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-10-17
BENNETT DEMANDS
PUBLIC HEARING ON
DISMISSAL BY D. C..
Mechanical Division Chief of
Municipal Architects Of
flee Denies Charges.
FAVORITISM CHARGED
IN SPECIFICATIONS
Accusations Made Public by
0usted Aide, Together With
Claim of Office Politics.

Public airing will be demanded Of
the charges on which Charles A. Ben
nett, chief Of the mechanical division
of the Municipal Architects Once,
was discharged summarily yesterday
by the Commissioners, his counsel,
w. Gwynn Gardiner, declared today.
Bennett makes categorical denial Of
any wrong doing in lengthy answers
to 10 charges preferred against him
and insists II will be found to be in
the clear" when "the full story is
known"
The charges alleged that he had
favored certain manufacturers OF
equipment used in construction Of
District Government structures and
that he had drafted specifications so
these manufacturers had at least the
best opportunity Of being awarded the
contracts. All these he denies.
The complaints and Benefits de-
malls were considered by a Special
Committee, including Assistant Cor
poration Counsel Walter Fowler. As
sistant Engineer Commissioner Patrick
Henry Tansey and Assistant Auditor
A. r. Pilkerton.
Identity Not Disclosed.
Fowler said today the charges had
been preferred by an attorney whose
identity was not disclosed. He added
the committee had made no effort to
learn the identity Of BENEFITS ac-
cuser.
He said the committee was mot
In any sense a trial board; that
rather it was a committee merely to
help the Commissioners with an in
vestigation."
A draft Of complaints, which the
committee filed with Bennett August
IA, Fowler said, was substantially in
the form in which the original charges
had been submitted to the Commits
sioners by the attorney, except that
the committee had made some changes
in wording.
Fowler said the committee did not
60 into some Of the charges because
of the difficulty Of obtaining proof"
He revealed that the committee had
advised the Commissioners that Ben
nett was "unsuited" for the position
he held.
Fowler said he had no authority
to release the committees report and
referred inquiries to Engineer Com
missioner Sultan, who is out Of town.
States CHARGES Himself.
Bennett. himself, late yesterday
made public the charges.
Ten of the eighteen charges deal
with alleged restrictive specification
writing. These involve equipment
used by contractors in the Brown Ele-
mentary School, the Anacostia Junior
High, Woodrow Wilson High. Alice
Junior High, the Roosevelt High
Schools and for fire alarm equip
ment in q number of buildings.
The remaining eight deal with al
legged favoritism to certain contractors
involving equipment used in the Chill
dren's tuberculosis Sanatorium at
Glenn Dale, Md, the Wilson High
School, Phelps Vocational School and
the Rose Lee Hardy Elementary
School.
One of the charges was that certain
Another charge was that a certain
contractural agent was told he would
be awarded contract for work at
the Rose Lee Hardy School if he
order electrical equipment from a
certain manufacturer, that he did So
and that during the course of the
above transactions, the representa-
tive Of the company entertained Mr.,
Bennett at an elaborate dinner"
In reply, Bennett stated that the
company representative and his wife
were "old family friends that the
friendship extended more than Is
years, that the elaborate dinner" was
q regular dinner" at the Washington
Hotel, that there was nothing i'm
proper involved in the friendship.
Other items in the long list OF
charges and answers were Of much
more detail and technical character
Bennett declared: 1.-THE whole con-
troversy has been beclouded by GER
Ldul NulQk14(kPdH ShAR2SyOos AASs
mechanically trained, who have re-
peatedly questioned my authority and
Judgment in engineering matters per-
tanning to the work Of the office,
motivated more, believe, from per-
sonal animosity. than by seriousness.
Of purpose"
Benefits attorney declared his bank
books would be held available for in
spection to prove that his income
has not exceeded his salary Of $4,000
per year. The accused charged that
an employee of the architects ofhce
had "unethically removed" certain
correspondence and shown it to the
parties who sought my removal"
kcKc ON mn MANAGES