The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-16
INQUIRY IN BUILDING
COSTS COME NEXT
Joint Legislative Committee
VIII Hold It's First Hear
ing on Wednesday.
30 WITNESSES CALLED
Free Hand Is Given to Inter
myer-Decision on Rent
Test Case Delayed.

The first meeting in the investiga-
ton Of charges that an Illegal COM
bination OF building material dealers
and manufacturers is keeping up
prices will be held at 10 o'clock next
Wednesday morning at the City Hall
by the Joint Legislative Housing Com
mittee. OF which State Senator Charles
c. Lockwood is chairman.
Leonard NJ. Wallstein, Comptroller
Of Accounts under the administration
OF Mayor Mitchell. will act as assistant
counsel to Samuel Untermyer. Mr..
Untermyer, whose charges more than
a month ago that q combination of
building material dealers existed led
to the investigation, has been allowed
a free hand by the committee. Either
Mr.. Untermyer or Mr.. Wallstein prob
ably will be clothed with the authority
of a deputy of the State Attorney
Generals office in order that they may
personally take whatever information
they find directly TO the Grand Jury
and ask for indictments.
A conference was held yesterday
afternoon at the Murray Hill Hotel, at
tended by Attorney-General Newton
Senator Lockwood. Mr.. Untermyer
Deputy Attorney-General Samuel Berger
and Nathaniel Goldstein. IT was decided
to hold the hearing as soon as possible
Thirty witnesses have been summoned.
Rent Decision Delayed.
The detailed correspondence between
r
which has caused considerable friction
between the members of the Joint Legis-
lative Housing Committee. will be made
public as soon as the stenographers can
get it into shape. It Is expected that
this correspondence will contain n num-
Der of definite charges and will settle
doubts as to Mr.. Untermyers status.
Hope of an immediate decision in the
landlord and tenant litigation vanished
yesterday when Justice George V. Null
Ian. in the Supreme Court, directed at
torneys interested in several rent cases
to submit briefs next Monday afternoon
He announced that he would hear no
arguments on the cases to-day because
it was his last day on the Bench in
Part I. during this month.
Several lawyers were in court, expect
ing to hear a decision in the case OF
William Brandt & Co, Inc, against d
number OF tenants in n six story apart
ment house at Audubon avenue and
10th street. The company is seeking
to dispossess the tenants whose leases
expired October l. It was said that
the attorneys for both sides had re-
quested that no decision be rendered
until after the arguments in the Federal
Court, where another case is pending
involving the constitutionality OF the rent
laws passed last month. In the Federal
Court It was learned that arguments in
the Brandt case had been set for next
Tuesday.
Landlords Charge Falls.
Fred Hoepfner, 20. yacht captain of
ESQ West Eighty-fifth street, was dis
charged in the Court of Special Ses-
sions on a charge of malicious mischief
made by his landlord, Henry Claman OF
62S West list street, president OF the
Forty-eighth Street Corporation.
Claman charged that Hoepfner on
July % removed n paddock from a hall
window after 1t had been securely fas-
tened in order that an unobstructed
view could not be obtained OF one OF
the tenants bathrooms. Hoepfner said
he had opened the window at the request
of another tenant who wanted more air
in the Railways.
Another tenant has made a charge OF
unlawful entry against Claman. This
case Is set for November In Special
Sessions. The tenants OF this apartment
building are reported TO have had q
number OF minor disputes with thei:
landlord