New-York tribune., 1921-02-02
|Unterm er to
Resign il More
Power Us Denied
Notifies Lockwood That 1t
Will BE Useless TO Pro.
ceed With Probe Under
Limitations of Resolution
Conference Called Here
Senate Leaders Summoned: /:
Committee May Explain
Aims of Extended Inquiry
From a stor Correspondent


ALBANY, Feb. IA final attempt To
induce legislative leaders to give the
Lockwood housing committee a more
liberal grant Of powers than those con-
tanned in the resolution passed by the
Assembly last week Is to be made in
New York Friday or Saturday. Senator
Charles G. Lockwood, chairman of the
committee which bears his name, has
arranged q conference which is to be
attended by Senator Clayton r. Lusk,
president pro tenn. of the Senate:
Speaker H. Edmund Machold of the
Assembly; Simon l.. Adler, Republican
floor leader of the House; Samuel Un-
termyer, chief counsel for the Lock
wood committee, and Leonard nj. Wall
stein and Samuel Berger, associate
counsel for the committee.
Mr.. Untermyer has informed Senator
Lockwood that he will resign as counsel
to the committee if the resolution is
adopted in the emasculated form in
which it was reported out by the Sem
ate Finance and Assembly Ways and
Means committees last Tuesday and
adopted by the Assembly. His attitude
is that it is useless for the committee
to proceed under the united increase
Of authority given it under the amended
resolution.
May Show Its Hand
1t is likely that the conference this
l.
lating to the leaders some of the in
innate details Of the conditions the
committee hopes to disclose within in
surance companies, savings banks and
other financial institutions if the COM
mittee should be allowed to make a
thorough inquiry into the affairs of
the corporations.
AT the recent semi-public hearing be-
fore the legislative finance bodies MIR.
Untermyer declined to give out any in
formation in this respect, saying it
would be dangerous for the committee
to disclose some of the facts in it's pos
session.
After making his request this morn
ing to have action upon the resolution
put over until next Tuesday Senator
Lockwood issued the following state
ment:
"The consideration of the pending
housing resolution and proposed amend
ments to be offered by me has been
postponed at my request until next
ITuesday.
Samuel Untermyer, the senior coun.
sci for the committee, declines to act if
the resolution is adopted in the form it
passed the Assembly, on the ground,
among others, that it is insufficient in
its grant Of powers. The success of the
committee to date should be largely
credited to Mr.. Untermyer, and the
chairman believes that every effort
should be made to retain his most yalu-
able services.
"A conference has been arranged be-
tween Senator Lusk, Speaker Machold,
Majority Leader Adler and Messrs,
Untermyer, Wallstein and Berger, of
counsel for the committee, at which we
hope an agreement may be reached on a
resolution under which the committee
can work effectively.
This postponement of one week will
mean no loss of time, because Messrs.
ontermyer and Berger are now engaged
IN trial and Mr. Wallstein and the
committee staff are preparing the case
against number of combinations in
restraint of trade. The conference will
cake place this week end Immediately
after the Brindell trial"
Says Rent Laws Stand
Elmer G. Samms, of counsel for the
Lockwood committee, to-day declared
as absolutely unfounded charges made
by Assemblyman William Lyman, Dem
ocrat, of the Bronx, that the Justice
court act repeals the rent laws of last
year. Mr.. Sammis, who drew the rent
laws and made thorough study of
the various legal angles Of the Gues-