Evening star., 1960-06-29
Hearing Told
OF Buildings
Trade 'Gyps'
Contractor Asks
Legislation to End
Abuses in District
BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG
Star Staff Writer

Star Stah Writer
veteran home improvement
contractor told a House District
ECommittee today that un-
scrupulouS home repairmen are
really gypping the public"
~. Sullivan cited numerous
cases of half-completed home
improvement jobs and contrac-
tors who get the homeowner's
check and do no work in
strongly indorsing legislation
to give more protection to
Washington homeowners.
He testified as the Subcom-
mittee, headed by Representa-
tive Dowdy, ended two days of
hearings on a bill to require
bonds of home improvement
contractors and statesmen. Mr..
Dowdy said he hoped he could
get the subcommittee together
later today to clear the bill for
action by the House District
Committee.
Mr.. Dowdy, Representative
Broyhill, Republican of Vir-
ginia, and Representative Foley,
Democrat of Maryland, all
raised questions about a sec
ton Of the pending bill which
would protect homeowners
against mechanics liens filed
by subcontractors and laborers
who have not been paid by the
prime contractor.
Four Mechanics Liens
All three legislators indicated
that they thought the mechan-
les lien protection should be
preserved. They indicated they
would want this section elimi-
mated from the bill.
The section was put in to
prevent the homeowner from
having to pay twice for the
same work.
Mr.. Sullivan said he'd been
fighting for 10 years for a law
to regulate home Improvement
contractors. He cited a case
where he was called in on a
job in a Connecticut avenue
area where the original con-
tractor had obtained no permit
and had used lumber from
junk yard.
He told of painting con-
tractors who managed to escape
the workman's compensation
law, leaving the homeowner
responsible if a workman is in
jured on the job. And he told
of a homeowner who was
talked out of $1,000 by a con-
tractor who promptly disap-
peared.
Wants Abuses Ended
That's what's been going
on around here" Mr.. Sullivan
said. John H. Haas, executive
secretary of the Metropolitan
Association of General I'M
provement Contractors, said
his association strongly urges
the legislation to get rid of the
abuses which he insisted ap-
piled to only S per cent of
the industry.
Mr.. Haas approved all of the
bill eXcfept a provision allow
ing the Commissioners to ac-
cept other security besides
bond. He warned this might
give an opening to financially
able adventurers," and urged,
"let's play safe and stick to the
legitimate bonding business"
M. L, Hamburger, a contrac-
tor, said he favored legislation
but urged that the legislators
go slow in enacting it.
Homer Davis, representing
the Home Owners Cooperative
Association, Inc, said he IA
vored the legislation, but OPP
posed the mechanics lien pro-
vision. He emphasized that
I'VE don't want any action of
ours to detract from the early
passage of this legislation"
Contractor Accused
Three witnesses, Clarence
Lockett, Edward Bradley and
Walter Fauntleroy. represent
ing owners on Blagden avenue
NV, testified about the trou-
bles they had had with a home
building contractor, Robert T.
Blitz, Of Blagden Homes, Inc,
and urged that the legislation
be broadened to include home
builders as well as home i'm
provement contractors.
Leonard Collins, attorney for
Mr.. Blitz, said the complaint Of
the Blagden avenue property
owners are now in the courts
and he said that the corpora
tion he represented had offered
to repurchase the home owners
property where they claim they
had been cheated, but the
home owners refused to take
their money back.
Henry Strong, representing
air conditioning and refrigera-
ton equipment warned that by
requiring contractors to be
bonded, the city would en-
courage home owners to rely on
the Government for protection
instead of relying on them
selves. He opposed legislation.