Evening star., 1941-10-19
Senate Probers Seek
Showdown on Currier
Contract Controversy
Truman Wants to Question
HilImun in Presence Of
Lewis and Green
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The Senate Defense Investigating
Committee disclosed yesterday that
it would seek a showdown on the
Governments labor policies in the
construction field by calling Sidney
Hillman, John L. Lewis and William
Green for joint testimony next
Wednesday concerning Wayne
County tMich) housing project.
Chairman Truman said the COM
mittee desired to ask Mr.. Hillman,
co-director of the Office of Produc-
ton Management, in the presence
of Mr.. Lewis and Mr. Green. for an
explanation of why contract has
not been awarded to the P. J. Cur
rier Lumber Co. of Detroit, which
says it was low bidder on the prof.
ect by s43l 900.
Mr.. Lewis, president of the C. I. o.
United Mine Workers, has charged
that the award has not been made
to Currier because the firm employs
c. I. o. labor. He asserted also that
a stabilization agreement Mr.. Hill
man signed with the A. F. L., Of
which Mr.. Green is president, in
effect created monopoly for the
A. F. L. in the defense building.
Calls for Agreement.
Observing that the Governments
policies appeared to need immediate
clarifcation, Senator Truman said
he would ask the three witnesses if
they couldn't reach some agreement
by which union rivalry would not
interfere with the letting of con-
tracts to responsible low bidders.
What We want to do the chair
man told reporters, lis to make GER
tain that the low. qualified bidder
gets the contract, irrespective of the
labor he employs
IF we can't get that kind of as
surance, the committee is going to
recommend that Congress fix spe-
cific labor policy for these defense
projects"
John Carmody, Federal Works
administrator previously had told
the committee that he had held up
award of the contract to the Currier
firm because of the fear of o. P. M.
officials that acceptance of the bid
would upset the labor stabilization
agreement and lead to widespread
strikes by A. F. L. building crafts
men.
Final Action Awaited.
Senator Truman said he was in
formed that the Currier contract
had been held in abeyance, awaiting
Mr.. Hillman's return to the city.
The chairman said final action ap-
peared to hinge on Mr.. Hillman's s
decision, since Mr. Carmody had in
dicated he desired o. P. M. ap-
proval before awarding the contract.
Besides the question of c. I. o.
inroads into the building trades
field, dominated by the A. F. L. in
the past, the issue of prefabrication
of materials has figured in the con-
troversy.
Mr.. Currier testified that he was
able to offer a bid of S979,500 COM
pared with 81 ,4lO,50O for the next
lowest, because he employed labor
on yearly basis, with much of the
work done on assembly lines, ="
rather than at the site of the con-
struction. He said the A. F. l.. had
opposed such methods strenuously.
Subsequently, Richard Gray, act
ing head of the A r l., buildinp
trades. said in a statement that the
A. F. L. opposed award of the bid
to Currier because of his past labor
record" and had no opposition to
his prefabrication methods. Mr.
Gray also contended that Curriers'
bid did not cover certain utilities
and that the actual difference be-
tween it and the next lowest bid
was about 100000.