112 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

A. Is this the 1 1/2 per month percent bill? It seems to be the feeling
of most people who are expert in that field that this is a reasonable
measure and if it is successful, at the moment I can see no reason why
I wouldn't concur in its enactment.

Q. Governor, another related bill, which last I heard is still very
much alive, is the so called O'Conor bill that Bank Commissioners will
increase the legal rate of interest to 8%. The bill has other broad
ramifications. Would you take any stand on this?

A. I haven't had a chance to examine that bill, Jack, in any detail.
My position is the same as it was in a very early press conference in
which I said I would not be against an increase in the legal rate of
interest provided all the methods of getting around it and supple-
menting it with additional charges could be eliminated. In short, I
think the public has a right to know exactly what it is being charged
for the privilege of borrowing money. And any type procedures that
fog over the true picture and make a person believe he's getting some-
thing for less than he's really getting it for, I am against. I would
have to look at that bill specifically, because I haven't seen it in detail.

Q. Well that bill does do that and it has some other broad implica-
tions on other fields of credit.

A. I'll take a look at it.

Q. Governor, during debate in the Senate, again on the Constitu-
tional Convention with regard to the final vote of 72 or 85, the
Republican block seemed to be voting against your desire until you
had a meeting last week. Was there a breakdown of communication?

A. Well there's always a difficulty, in a busy time when the Legisla-
ture is in session, to maintain perfect communication. And I would say
our communication was not exactly all that we desired it to be during
that period. Consequently, I met with the Senators, and we have im-
proved our regular meeting schedule to a great extent.

Q. Governor, on the crossings, I got here a few minutes late and I
don't know what you said publicly about your feelings on the Balti-
more Harbor crossing. Do you have a statement?

A. Well my feeling was that, and again my feeling merely reflects
the technical and professional advice of Mr. Wolff in whom I've got
total confidence or else I wouldn't have appointed him, that a second
Harbor crossing leaves the Commission with more flexibility. Now
the tunnel as opposed to crossings seems to have these financial dis-
tinctions, and again I would like to make these clear. First of all, to