New-York tribune., 1920-11-16

plea tn&t the committee continue Its
hunt for misconduct on the part of any
eitN official. Mr.. Untermyer had said
tha, the committee would go no fur
ther than was necessary for the pur-
pose of the Investigation, whereupon
Major La Guardia said:
Il simply want to say, counsellor, as
member Of this board, not having
the powers of subpoena, not having
the enormous powers of your commit
tee, beg you to pursue further and
see if any official of the city is in
volved. beg your committee to do
that"
MIR Untermyer suggested in answer
that Sufficient unto the day was the
committee never would get through
and that it could not go into all the
CITY apartments. The Mayor here re-
marked, Il suggested to President La
N,uarCla that tnat applies III every in
stance except to the Mayor
"On the contrary retortcd Inter
myer. 81 think we have been very ten
der with the Mayor We did rot finish
our examination, by the way, Mr..
Mayor. We suspended it,"
One Resolution Rejected
The conference was preceded by q
meeting of the board, at which the
resolution requesting the Lockwood
Committee to take over the inve stiga-
tion OF all the city contracts was
drafted. As result OF it's rejection
by Mr.. Untermyer. the ooard met again
after the conference and adopted the
resolution calling for an Independent
inquiry open to the public.
The conference was opened by the
Mayor with q statement in which he
set forth that he had no direct power
to award contracts, explaining that
contracts ana the courthouse contracts
we're let by the Board VI Estimate, of
which he is chairman.
"You can see" he concluded. chat
while trere has been desperate effort
to place all the responsibility upon
rhe Mayor for the letting of contracts
for public improvements, he has moth
ing 20 do with the letting Of contracts
except the courthouse contracts, all Of
which he had cancelled except the
foundation contract"
Numerous Interruptions
In the course of the reading there
were numerous Interruptions by the
Comptroller ard others, whereupon Mr..
untermyer suggested that some one be
appointed 20 keep order. 81 will pree
serve order" replied the Mayor sharp
ly. Don't be concerned about that.
The Mayor is going to be heard"
eyes" came back Mr.. Untermyer,
"but not every two minutes"
"The Mayor isn't going TO have any
thing Put over on him." finally re-
marked the Mayor.
In rejecting the proposal to look into
all t city contrftts Mr.. Untermyer
said "The suggestion that we should
lock into every city contract at this
tiro involves an impossible proposition.
Whatever we can do and still hew to
tie line of inquiry. we stand not only
ready but eaged to do
In connection with dock contracts,
Mr.. Untermyer said the estimates
"have been based on the most extrava-
CANT. exo-hitant and outrageous i'm
position ever foistcd upon any city in
tie world"
Comnteoller Craig here remarked
that contracts of this kind amount
ing to S12.50O,oOO were made by the
FoaNd o. Estimate without public let
ting.
I'VE have enough data on hand"
went or Mr.. Untormyer. "to know
that we have not scra' 'ched the sur
fece- Meantime, if you do not pay
these contracts, the contractors will
fail. Masses Of innocent people will
suffer"
Mr.. vntermyer attacked the Federal
author.t;es, saying: we can only do
9uthor:t'"s the cooperation that has
been thus far given US in words hut
rot in deeds. At the moment our
greatest hand cap is the Department of
Ju t;ce, through lis inanition."
Attorney General Palmer is reported
to have said in this connection that he
would rave someth ng to say when he
read the full text Of Untermyer's
statement
Out of perhaps forty trades, Ny
rn-ormyer said, connected With the
building industry. the committee has
ony touched upon three or four AS
70 the others the investigators have
not yet discovered enough to be able
to reNarate the wolves from the sheep.
We cannot stop where we are to
lock into city contracts alone, for we
are facing 4 growing unr anageable
mass OF material 20 deal with. Reve-
iiations concerning banks, intrastate
business and ccmbinations End insur-
ancee companies which have had much
TO do with bringing about the present
housing situation must be gone into"
Craig Gets Rebuff
NoH!ptiOIleI NGal- mum erOuS efforts
TO give the impression that he has
lined up with the Lockwood commit
tee came IN for some sharp remarks
on tne part OF Mr.. Unternyer When
the Comptroller referred 10 some mat
Ter whlcn had been agreed upon by you
and me- Mr.. Cntermycr made it plain
that Craig was not an ally Of the com
mittee and that he had met the Comp
troller but once during the last year.
This was .only recently, when Mr..
Cntcrmyer visited the Comptro,lers
Office upon the latter's invitation to
look over certain contracts connected
with the investigation.
Mr.. Craig then said he found it the
CONDITION IN certain departments that
certain people appeared always TO- be
bidding, but never get any contracts.
lie questioned their genuineness, and
va inclined to believe they were straw
bidders.
May suggest" remarked Mr.. I'm
termyef there is magnificent on
portunity for the irrepressib!e industry
Of the Commissioner of Accounts ?"
There WAS an extended discussion as
10 how the schoolhouse contracts should
be investigated. PRECEDENT Aiming S
Prall Of the Board Of Education said
he had suggested the matter to the
Lockwood Committee, and that the
Lockwood Committee declared it had
neither the force nor the money to un-
dertake the work.
Mr. Prall said the BOARD of Educa.
ton had no force 70 do it's own inves+i