The New York herald., 1921-10-10
lockwood REFUTES
CRAIG NSINUATIONS
Senator Asserts He Never
Had Any Relations With
Subway Contractors.
NOT EVEN AS CLIENTS
Comptroller Friendly Until
Comptroller Friendly Until
He Threw Light on Lime
stone 100000 Job.
RECALLS ABUSE OF MAYOR
Asks Why Craig Wants Hylan
Reelected if Fraction OF
Criticism is True.

NiHhuihB DIS ldlSe tIle Charges maQt
against him by Comptroller Craig O,
being connected with subway con.
tracing interests, and calling upor
the Comptroller to make public hi.
evidence of such or conduct clear
campaign without slander
Senator Lockwood also reviewed the
courthouse limestone contracts, ap.
proved by Comptroller Craig and the
Democratic members OF the Board OF
Estimate. through which the city was
about to lose 100000 when the Lock
wood committee disclosed 1t.
The Republican-C Coalition candidate
recalled the previous utterances Of the
Comptroller against the Mayor and
other fellow members Of the Board o1
Estimate, and asked how the public
could reconcile the Comptroller's pres
ent advocacy Of the Mayors reelection
with charges he made against the
Mayor in Board Of Estimate and other
official meetings.
Voters VIII Want to Know.
Senator Lockwood's statement fol-
lows:
For the last four years Comptroller
Craigs presence at the Board OF Esti-
mate and elsewhere has been charac-
terized by continuous stream OF abuse
directed against the Mayor, the Presi-
dent OF the Board of Aldermen and the
Borough Presidents Of Queens and Man
haitian. II q fraction Of the sneers and
insinuations Of inconpetency or wrong
doing which he has levelled against the
Mayor are true the voters will want to
know why he Is 50 anxious for four
years more OF that kind of governmen.
under that sort Of q Mayor. But be
that as 1t may. he must understand
right here and now that he will not be
permitted to assail me without produce
ing the facts.
In his speech of acceptance Comp
troller Craig makes the following ref
erence to me:
First. in 1919 Senator Lockwood
sponsored and procured the passage OF
bill for the subway contractors, pro-
viding FOR the Cancellation of all SUBJ
way contracts and release Of the sureties
on their bonds. This bill would have
cost the city OF New York $4,000, 900.
The Comptroller frustrated its operation
because the claims were found to have
no legal basis
That Is a wilful perversion Of the
facts. and the most regrettable part of
II Is that Comptroller Craig knows II
to be so. In 1918. due to war conditions,
tho necessary requirements for higher
wages for mechanics and labor on sub
way construction LED to stoppage OF
work All realized that the subways
should be rushed - completion.
"a bill providing for readjustmen,
TO be made Jointly by the Public Service
Commission and the Board of Estimate
was prepared after conferences between
members of the Board OF Estimate and
the Public Service Commission. / was
requested to and did introduce the bill
which passed.
Mayor Hylan approved the bill in
writing. as required by law. Where was
the Comptroller when the Mayor hao
the bill under consideration?
VIII Ignore Contractors' Law.
Senator lockwood said that a secont
statement Ivy the Comptroller referred
| to the 1921 contractors bill, to which
the Senator replied:
The Comptroller knows that I op
posed this bin for four years. II,
knows that I did not vote for Il an,
that II was brought up while I wa
away on housing matter. wher
elected Comptroller, as ] fully expec
to be. I shall decline to act under 4
and shall require that all such claim
receive public consideration before tn,
Board OF Estimate and Apportionmen
and not be privately adjusted. shall
at once seek to have the Legislatur,
amend this act
Third. by Comptroller Craig:
1T Is understood that my opponent
Senator Lockwood, has the support o.
the subway contractors In his candidac,
for Comptroller
"If Comptroller Craig ever received
such information, 1t is wholly false.
demand that he make public every BIZ
OF II without delay. will tolerate M
further slander.
"I have never had any interest or hae
any clients with any interest in subwa,
contracts and have no personal nc.
quaintance with any subway contractor
Comptroller Craig. who frequently
has visited Albany in the last foul
years. has been apparently most fricndl,
in his personal relations with me and
on many occasions has voluntarily
praised my legislative work. This con.
tinued down to the exposure made be-
fore the Joint Legislative Committee or
Housing. OF which I am chairman, b.
Mr. Samuel Untermyer, It's counsel.
The testimony before tho Housing
Committee showed that the Hettrics
matched bid for limestone on the court.
house was approved by the Board OF
Estimatc-Comptroller Craig and others
voting for IL.
The bid was for s1.s40. 600
Other testimony showed that q
private corporation contracted for abou,
the same quality and about the same
quantity of limestone at about the same
time for about $4,000.
Allowing for difference in cost OF
labor and transportation. ve had going
J from the taxpayers pockets on this Job
100000.
] Tho courthouse limestone contract,
which already had been approved. was
hurriedly cancelled. October 20, 1920
just after tho Housing Committee seized
the records in Hettrick's office. including
that interesting correspondence between
/ Eettr!ck and the Mayor.
where was this great vatchdog oil
4 the city treasury when the limestone
/ ring was operating and on the very
verge OF success7 The public did no,
locate the ring until the Housing Com
mittcc turned the llmelight on lime.
stone"