Evening star., 1934-04-06
BENNETT REFUSES
ITO AID IN PROBE
New York Attorney General
Declines to Assist in
'Thayer Inquiry.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ALBANY, N. Y. April 6.-Attorney
General John j. Bennett refused last
night to act as counsel for the Senate
Judiciary Committee in its investiga-
ton OF Senator Warren T. Thayer.
Bennett acted upon the advice OF
Gov. Herbert H. Lehman, who
charged the investigation as now out
lined would be worse than nothing"
This development followed close on
the heels of the Senate's rejection, by
q close vote, of the Governors bill to
permit cities to go into the electric
light and gas business. The Senate
for tighter restrictions on utility COM
panies. but rejected another of his
principal bills to charge utilities part
of the cost of rate Investigations.
The vote on the municipal owner
ship bill was % ayes and % noes,
votes short of passage. Seven Demo-
Gratis joined fifteen Republicans in
voting no.
Attacks Senate's Plans.
The Governor, declaring the fight
has just begun" Immediately made
new plans to force enactment of utili-
ties reform laws.
He attacked the Senate's present
plans for investigating Senator Thay-
er. Franklin County Republican, as "a
gesture for the purpose of misleading
the public
He laid before the Legislature new
demand for the broadest kind of an
investigation of the whole utility sit
uation'
He said he wanted an investigation
of "the alleged acts of Senator Thay-
er" to be part of this investigation
The Senate Judiciary Committee,
which now plans to begin the Thayer
inquiry Monday afternoon. had pro-
posed to limit its investigation to the
authenticity of the letters read to the
Federal Trade Commission purporting
to have been written by Senator
Thayer to the Associated Gas e. Elec-
trio Co. in 1927 and 1928, when he
was chairman of the Senate Public
Service Committee. One of the let
tiers inquired If his services as chair
man of the committee which killed a
number of utility bills. had been sat
1stactory to your company"
Bennett Declines.
Bennett sent letter to the Senate
last night formally declining to rep
resent the Judiciary Committee. The
Senate voted Wednesday to request
his services.
Bennett said he noted that the
Judiciary Committee proposed to
limit its inquiry to the authenticity
of certain letters" and to the question
of whether or not there was any
official misconduct on the part Of
Senator Thayer in connection there
with"
No such investigation should be so
circumscribed either in its original
scope or in the presentation of the
evidence or testimony" he wrote
Eight bills in the Lehman program
passed. These were sent to the AS
sembly, which may vote on them
Monday night. They provide for:
Cd Temporary rate reductions
which cannot be delayed by utility
company's appeals to the courts.
CD Broader State control over
holding companies.
90 State control over gas trans
mission lines. .~...,
"a Permit villages that now have
their own power plants to sell gas
and electricity outside of their cor
porate limits.
(5) Limited State control over the
use to which utility companies put
their revenues.
60 Certain small fees to be
charged the companies for filing
documents with the, Public Service
Commission.
co Return to the State, with in
terest, of customers deposits un-
claimed after Is years.
90 Broader State control over the
amounts paid by utility companies
for management. construction and
other services.