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B UILDERS
in®
Vol. CI
NEW YORK, JUNE 15, 1918
No. 24
Joint Conference on Subway Strike Today
Board of Estimate and Public Service Commission Will Attempt
to Adjust Differences Between Them
THE Board of Estimate and Apportionment yester¬
day again took up the matter of adjusting", if
possible, the situation created by the strike of the
subway workers and which has been the subject of
numerous communications, conferences and arguments
on the part of the Board and the PubHc Service Com¬
mission. A resolution disapproving of the suggestions
set forth in a letter from Chairman Straus of the Public
Service Commission under date of June 7, and showing
a way out of the difficulty was presented for the benefit
of the Board and adopted by a unanimous vote.
Comptroller Craig then reiterated his assertion made
several times before that the strike is founded on an
attempt by the contractors to coerce a cancellation of
the contracts now held by the contractors and who seek
relief from the city treasury.
Judge Ransom, counsel for the Public Service Com¬
mission, refused to go into this phase of the matter,
but said that the plan submitted by the Commission
under the Lockwood law is the only plan to meet the
situation.
"The Board cannot relieve any contractor without
invoking the Lockwood law," said Mr. Ransom. "We
have submitted propositions which you can call can¬
cellations, modifications or new obligations; they will,
if adopted, give relief."
Comptroller Craig stated that he is opposed to the
cost-plus plan of completing the subway work and said
that he had been informed by a prominent Federal
official that the work being done for the Government
on the cost-plus basis requires the services of a regi¬
ment of inspectors to check up and protect the Govern¬
ment from being mulcted.
President Smith of the Board of Aldermen, replying
to a statement by Judge Ransom that a conference
between the members of the Board of Estimate and
the Public Service Commission could not be arranged,
although every effort had been made to bring about
such a conference, said:
"If this Board will appoint a committee of three to
confer with the Public Service Commission as to the
best way to bring about a resumption of the subway
work at the earliest possible moment I am sure the
problem will be solved. I move that such a committee
be appointed and that this Board take a recess until
Monday morning to give the committee a chance to
report back. There hasn't been a proper spirit of co¬
operation between the Board of Estimate and the Public
Service Comm.ission and that is why we are so situated.
I believe we can agree if we will only try."
Judge Ransom replied: "When you can send a com¬
mittee of this Board to confer with the Public Service
Commission you can lock the doors and out of that
conference will come a cooperation that will solve the
problem and send those men back to work to complete
the subways."
President Dowiing of the Borough of Manhattan
suggested that instead of a committee of three the
entire Board go into conference with the members of
the Public Service Commission, and this suggestion met
the approval of the other members and it was so
decided.
The question of holding the conference in public or
in executive session was debated, and Mayor Hylan and
Comptroller Craig both went on record as opposed to
executive sessions, but when Mr. Ransom and Borough
President Connelly suggested that the contractors
might not like the idea of publicly confessing their
financial straits it was finally decided to hold the con¬
ference in private and if an agreement was reached then
to hold a public hearing.
The conference will take place this morning at 9:30
and at a conference held yesterday afternoon between
Corporation Counsel Burr and Judge Ransom the legal
aspects of the case were gone into and will be presented
at the conference today.
The Board then passed the following:
Resolved, That the Board of Estimate and Appor¬
tionment hereby reiterates its approval of the plan
presented in the opinion of the Corporation Counsel on
June 7, 1918, for the relief of the contractors of subway
construction by a speedy settlement and payment of
their just claims by the Comptroller; and it is suggested
that the Public Service Commission be requested to
cooperate with this Board to that end; and that such
relief shall be without prejudice to any appHcation that
may be made by any contractor under the Lockwood
law.
Resolved, That this Board does not favor a general
cancellation and annulment of existing subway con¬
struction contracts and the release of the sureties on
the bonds of such contractors, but that it will consider
the claim of any particular contractor for relief because
of war conditions when presented by the Public Service
Commission with the necessary facts and particulars
in the manner heretofore outlined by this Board.
Resolved, That it being the earnest desire of this
Board to secure the speedy completion of the subways,
that the workmen employed thereon receive just com¬
pensation and that the interest of the people should
be fully protected, the Board submits this statement of
its policy to the earnest consideration of the Public
Service Commission and the contractors and invite their
cooperation to carry it into effect.
A tie-up of work on the subway costs the city $41,000
a day in interest charges in addition to loss by deteriora¬
tion of materials and tools.