Evening star., 1952-12-27
Virginia 'sLega|
Chief May Settle
Housing Fight
Let Attorney General
Referee Fund Issue,
Alexandria Asks PHA

AISAQHuIIU ASKS THA
Alexandria's City Council asked
Federal housing officials yester-
day to let Virginia's Attorney
General referee a fight over hous-
ing funds.
The Public Housing Administra-
tion has warned that delays
caused by the wrangle are threat
ening the, city with the loss Of
Federal contributions to a 148-
unit low rent project.
Yesterday, the council heard
the city's Redevelopment and
Housing Authority explain why
the job has been held up.
The city authority said PHA
wants it to grant the contract to
the low bidder, and the authority
doesn't want to do it because it
thinks that would be illegal.
Union Factor.
The authority's legal objections
center on union versus a non.
union theme.
Bids were received November 6.
The lowest was from Victor r.
Beauchamp, Inc. of Washington,
a firm using only union labor.
The second lowest bid was $62,5O0
higher than the Beauchamp COM
pany's. and was from an open.
shop concern.
But the authority recommended
that the Beauchamp offer be re-
jected.
Glenn U. Richard, chairman of
the authority. said that his group
takes the attitude that giving the
contract to the Beauchamp COM
pany would violate the Taft
Hartley Act and the States
right to work" act. He said that.
II the Beauchamp firm gets the
job, the open-shop outfits are au-
tomatically barred from partici-
pating in the work. And that.
he said, would violate the provi-
slons on secondary boycotts of the
two acts.
Would Hold Funds.
Mr.. Richard said he has asked
the Attorney General of Virginia
to rule on the issues legal points.
He asked the council to ask PHA
to hold the housing fund in re-
serve until the Attorney General
hands down ruling, and council
adopted such resolution.
Councilman Frank E. Mann
wanted the resolution to include
a sentence saying the council was
neither approving nor disapprov-
ing the authority's stand. He said
the resolution needed that clause
to make it plain the council wasn't
taking sides on the labor issue.
But the council refused to include
the sentence.
AS originally worded, the re-
quest also asked PHA to hold off
until the United States Attorney
General ruled on the matter. But
that clause also was deleted. on
the ground such ruling might
take too long.
Mr.. Richard said the only for
NAL protest against letting a union
hrm have the job came from the
Southern Iron Works, Inc, an
Alexandria company. Some infor-
NAL objections also were received
though, he said.
First Case of Kind.
The second lowest bid was from
Eugene Simpson & Bro. of Alex
Mr.. Richard noted that
the Simpson company used to be
union firm. and that this hous-
ing project was the first the au-
thority had to rule on since Vir-
glnla passed its fright to work"
act.
He also read a letter he sent to
PHA Commissioner John Taylor
Egan yesterday.
One paragraph read:
I'VE cannot help but feel that
pressure is being brought upon
your office to urge the Alexandria
Redevelopment and Housing Au-
thority to award a contract to
Victor r. Beauchamp, Inc, ire
spective of the judgment of the
local authority. We can also ap-
preciate the fact that probably
groups who in the past have sup
ported public housing legislation
IN Congress are urging your office
TO have awarded a contract" (for
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