The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-07
UNTERMYER TELLS
CITY OFFICIALS TO
END DREARY FARCE
Insists Board of Estimate
Go to Courts to Recover
Unlawful Profits.
EVERY 100000 COUNTS
Lockwood Committee Coun-
sci Names Jobs That He
Calls ExtortiOnate.
OPPOSES wHITEWAsHING
Legislative Attempts to Side
track Inquiry Believed to
Be Doomed to Defeat.
OPPOSES WHITEWAsHING

Instead Of spending more time on,
what he termed the "dreary farce" 4
is staging In City Hall. Samuel Unttr-
myer. counsel for the Lockwood csm-
mittee, called on the Board Of IAti-
mate yesterday to go after contractors
who were in collusion to extort Money
from the city and at the san% time
start suit to recover big sufns lost
through using the Court House, site as
an ash dump.
Mr.. Untermyer specified three out
of mass Of contracts WHICH have been
approved by city officials as correct
and proper, and stated that in each
case most conclusive, evidence of
collusion had been fo'nd by the COM
mittee's investigators. Those con-
cerned in these three contracts. as in
many others, will. be summoned be-
fore the Lockwood committee, and Mr.
Untermyer will endeavor to prove that
the Board of Estimates inquiry is
nothing more than a whitewash.
Members OF the committee and the
counsel completed the, programme for
the sessions to be held during the next
four days in City Hall and discussed the
plan for continuing its work after the
Legislature meets on January ). The
life Of the committee legally expires on
that date. AS soon as the session con-
venes Senator Lockwood will present a
resolution asking for the continuance Of
the committee for an indefinite period
and for the broadening Of It's powers to
meet new situations.
This discussion grew out of the re-
ports circulated Yesterday that several
members of the Legislature ara prepar-
ing resolutions calling for the appoint
1nent of committee to investigate the
city administration. Half dozen such
resolutions will be offered. 1t Is sus-
pected that a movement is now on foot
TO lift the proposed city investigation
out of the hands of the Lockwood COM
mittee, with special view to some one
other than Mr.. Untermyer for counsel.
The Lockwood committee will insist,
however, that 1t be recognized as the
authority on this subject, and 1t Is re-
garded as almost certain that this body
will be authorized to continue as long
as there is anything to be investigated.
The committee will not for a moment
consider changing counsel. Its members
stated. and Mr.. Untermyer will lead the
INQUIRY into the city departments II he
cares to accept the appointment. The
resolution will officially name him as
rxxt-- ~ N
lieve he will accept.
The Lockwood committee Is ready to
demand that all OF the resolutions Of
fered for the creation of new commit
tees be thrown aside and will take the
position that such moves are in reality
an attempt to undermine the existing
Investigation and save some one later
with its resolution asking for broad
eninr of its powers, the committee will
ask that some OF the teeth extracted
when the inquisitors were named last
spring shall be put back. Having that
in view, 1t Is probable that certain
phases OF the inquiry will be delayed
until after the Legislature meets and
takes action, and that may prolong the
sessions until the latter part Of January
or early in February. -
Mr.. Untermyer has no intention OF
going deeply into the Hylan administra-
ton affairs until the housing question
in out of the way and the committees
report Is before the Legislature. The
committee will not be ready for the city
probe. AZ II Is authorized. until spring.
sharp note to Estimate Board.
In his message to the Board OF Esti-
mate. MIR. Untermyer quoted from his
letter of November "a requesting the
city officials to investigate the Court
House dumping contracts He recited in
the November letter testimony given be-
fore the committee regarding the action
of Holland e. Co. I'm dumping ashes into
the excavation and asked the board to
determine who was responsible for that
.act OF vandalism" He continued:
II desire now to know whether this
suggestion was put formally before the
board and. ~ SO what. II any, action was
taken upon Il. The board may rest as
sured that this demand. VIII not be
allowed TO go unanswered.
mir. Whaien and his firm, and any
other contractor who dumped ashes into
tho Court House site. viii have TO repay
the city the cost of their removal. which
the city now Is paying at the exorbitant
price OF $50 per load under contract
that should have been cancelled when
the other contracts regarding the Court
House site were annulled
'9sermit me to suggest that the prose-
cution OF these suits be placed in the
hands OF your special counsel. Mr.. Meier
SteInbrink. who can be relied upon 10
see to II that the suits will not be AL
lowed TO die and that the city's rights
will be safegfarded Every 100000
saved 10 the city in this way counts for
something
"while we are upon this general sub
ject you may recall that month or
more ago. at the request ofithe Corpora
tion Counsel. tho HettriclS papers were
placed at his disposal and he had some
one examining and taking notes from
them. Presumably the contents OF these
papers were investigated. but II so 1
fear that tho work was very superfi-
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