Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 106, no. 23: [Articles]: December 4, 1920

Text version:

782 RECORD AND GUIDE December 4, 1920 Sidney H. Sonn testified that on June 5, 1919, he began the alteration of an apartment house known as the Peter Stuyves¬ ant, at Central Park West and Eighty-sixth street, to a hotel, at a cost af about $500,000 to $600,000. The first plumbing con¬ tractor, said Sonn, was Joseph Lipkoff of 1322 Third avenue, who contracted to do the work for $37,500. Lipkoff had paid his initiation fees and dues as a member of the Master Plumb¬ ers' Association, but had not received written notice of mem¬ bership. After the work had been under way several weeks, Chapman, a delegate of the plumbers' union, called on Sonn, and said that Lipkoff was not a member of the Master Plumb¬ ers' Association. Sonn insisted that Lipkoff was a member and had been using union men, and was informed by the walking delegate that at a meeting held by the Master Plumbers on the previous evening Lipkoff had been refused admission. Chap¬ man said he would have to call the plumbers off the job, as the plumbers had an,agreement which bound them to work only for members of the Master Plumbers' Association. The wit¬ ness then declared that he, Lipkoff and Henry Mark of Stod¬ dard & Mark, lawyers, went to the District Attorney's office, as Sonn said he felt that the case was plainly in restraint of Lipkoff's free action. They saw Assistant District Attorney Alfred J. Talley, who got the Master Plumbers to write a letter to the union asking that the old men be put back to work. There was no prosecution of any of those involved, he said, and the letter of Talley was all that the District Attor¬ ney's office did. But the men did not go back to work. Sonn engaged another plumber and there was more trouble of the same kind. Then the suggestion was made to Sonn that he use Jarcho Brothers, plumbing contractors, to complete the work. He said he went to see Mr. Knight, an officer of the Master Plumbers' Association, who said that Jarcho would have the "moral support" of the association, and told him to rest assured that Jarcho would complete the work without any difficulty. Sonn thereupon made a contract with Jarcho Broth¬ ers to have the work completed. Jarcho's payment called for $85,783. He had paid Deischel $17,164 and Lipkoff $4,831 for their share of the work. The total amount he paid was $107,- 119 on a job for which he had contracted to pay $37,500. He had a few extras that he had Jarcho Brothers do, but the net result was that he paid $92,000 for work which he had under contract for $37,500. Jarcho, said the witness, was one of the original bidders. He was one of the "clique," he said, and all members of the "clique" put in estimates ranging from $62,000 to $66,000. Anthony A. Paterno, of 225 West Seventy-first street, a mem¬ ber of the firm of Paterno Brothers, builders, told of paying $4,750 to Brindell and his delegates. Pike and Chapman. The money was made in two payments. He said he gave Pike and Chapman, Brindell's agents, $3,000 in order to prevent the call¬ ing of a strike on a building in the course of construction, and gave Brindell $1,750 after trouble began on another job. Mr. Paterno said it was arranged that the money was to be paid in the office of Loisette & Murphy the same afternoon. "And did you have any further strikes or trouble?" asked Mr. Untermyer. "No, sir," replied the witness. Mr. Paterno told of another transaction, this time with Brin¬ dell. It concerned a building at 220 West Seventy-first street. Six hours after work was begun wrecking the old buildings there was trouble. Peter Stadtmuller, delegate for Brindell, informed him, the witness testified, that if he did not use Louis Cohen, a wrecking contractor, on the work he could not go ahead with it and no work would be done on the building which he was planning to erect. Accompanied by Murphy, he said, he went to see Brindell at the latter's office, 12 St. Marks place. Brindell told Paterno that the job was "unfair" and was being done by men who were not members of the council. This mean that Paterno would have to pay $50 "initiation fee" for each of the thirty-flve men at work. Paterno agreed to pay the $1,750. He called again on Brindell the same afternoon, again in company with Murphy. They were ushered into Brin¬ dell's office and Paterno said he placed the money in cash on the desk. Brindell said that everything would be "fixed up" and there would be no more trouble. ■-"I ' - »~ BUY LUMBER NOW Our facilities have not suffered through railroad conges¬ tion. We have on hand 20,000,000 feet of lumber, brought in by Water, that we are prepared to market at an actual PRICE CONCESSION Timber, Factory Flooring, Boards, Finish Flooring Siding, Roofers, Sash Material, Trim and Moulding Concrete Form, Lumber a Specialty Shipped by Anto Truck, Lighter or Rail to All Points in the METROPOLITAN DISTRICT Complete Milling Facilities E. C. SMITH CO., Inc. (ncUbUikad Flftr T«wa> OAKLAND AND BOX STREETS •TtTt f\rvwrt trt.t XT V PAIDGE AVENUE AND NEWTOWW CKKKX JBKUUJVLi I IN, JN. 1. Greenpoint 198-9 111 I >r-