The New York herald., 1922-03-21
GOVERNORS ANSWER
CH|DES UNTERMYER
Miller Resents Attack on
Legislature Over Housing
Measures.
REFUSES EXTRA SESSION
Asserts He Was Tardy in Of
fering Bills of Such
Importance.
Special Dispatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
AIhauy. March 90 (

Special Dispatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Albany, March 20.
Gov. Miller will not call an extraor-
dinary session of the Legislature at
the behest Of Samuel Untermyer. In
no uncertain terms he rebuked the
Lockwood committee counsel for max
ing "unwarranted assaults" on the
Legislature, and told him in reply to
his letter, received here to-day, that
there was no reason for calling the
lawmakers back to Albany again this
JNar
lature as well as Mr.. Untermyer had
something to say about the disposi
ton of the housing bills, and that he
was not justified in getting excited
or in making reckless charges" be
cause the Assembly wished more time
to consider them.
The Governor took full responsibility
for the amendments which Mr.. Inter
the State Superintendent of Insurance
control over rate making associations.
He said he insisted on having them in
serted at conference with Speaker
Machold and Senator Lockwood. chair
man of the Housing Committee. These
amendments provide that rates be based
on an experience of five years in deter
mining profits. and that confiagration risks
both within and without the State be
taken into account.
Senator Lockwood. the Governor
said, in discussing that conference,
Thought that the superintendent of In
surance will necessarily have to follow
those two elements whether they were
expressed in the bill or not, and that
therefore their insertion was not neces-
sary. My view was that sound princi-
pies ought not to be left to the discretion
of the administrative officer to deter
mine whether he would follow them or
not. and that the things which were so
sound as to be universally recognized
ought to be Incorporated In the bill"
Favored Trade Bill.
The Governor declared that while he
favored the State Trade Commission
bill. in view of present conditions in the
business world, and that he was willing
to have had the bill come to him. he was
unwilling to coerce the Legislature into
hasty action on a measure of such vast
Importance.
THE trade commission bill." he said.
as an absolutely new departure. It is
setting up another regulatory commits
sion which needs plain justification. I
reached the conclusion that It was justi-
fed, but / think the men who wanted
the balance of the year to think 1t over
are not to be censured, because it is a
very radical departure in State policy"
The Governor in his reply called Mr.
Untermyer's attention to the fact tina,
although he had given the housing bills
intensive study for a long time he was
not ready to have them introduced until
late I'm the session. He said the Legis-
lature was then entitled to ample time
for considering them. Gov. Miller told
Mr. Untermyer he ought to retract the
"unjustifiable charges" he made against
Speaker Machold the same as he did
those against Superintendent of Insu-
rance Stoddard-
The Governors Letter.
The Governors letter replying to Mr.
Untermyer follows:
MY DEAR Mr. UNTERMYER:
IL have read your letter OF March 10
with care but do not consider that tns
occasion warrants me In convening the
Legislature In extraordinary session as
you request.
considering the fact that the bills
which you criticize the Legislature for
not passing were not introduced until
March 2. although the date of adjourn
ment was definitely fixed by concurrent
resolution adopted by both houses on
February 10. and was tentatively am
nounced much earlier. you ought TO be
praising the Legislature for what IL did
accomplish.
"You and Senator Lockwood called on
me In December and outlined the legis-
lative program which you proposed to
recommend. Yet, notwithstanding your
great ability and the fact you had been
giving intensive study TO the subject for
long time. you were upable to prepare
the bills for Introduction until the As
senbly committees had practically ceased
to hold hearings. and even then amend
ments were required which you your
self thought necessary
II do not intend to imply any criti-
cism whatever from the delay in intro
ducing the bills until just before adj
journment. but on the other hand you
should not indulge in unwarranted as
saults upon the Legislature for not ac-
cepting out OF hand measures OF far
reaching Importance. which had taken
you so long to prepare.
you charge others with Inserting
iokers' in the rate regulation BILL
Does Il not occur 10 you that in n mat
ter involving a new departure in State
policy of such great consequence as the
osta btishr,ont OF State trade connmis-
sion the Legislature might wish ample
time to carefully consider measure
which It had taken you 50 long to draft,
not from any suspicion that you might
have 'jokcrs' In the bill but IN order