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RECORD   AND   GUIDE





December 29, 1917





Devoted to Real Estate

BuUding Construction and BuildinfiManagement

in the Metropolitan District

Founded March 21. 1868. by CLINTON W. SWEET

Fuhiished Every Saturday

Bj THE RECORD AND GUIDE CO.

F. T. MILLER, Piesident

J. W.  FRANK, Secretary 4 Trcasarer

S. A. PAXSON, Business Manager

A.   K. MACK. Editor

119 West 40th Street, New York

(Telephone. 4800 Bryanl.)

yEntered at the Post  Office at New York, N. T., as
second-class matter."

CopyriEht. 1917, by The Record and Guide Co.





TABLE OF CONTENTS

(Section  One)

Why    Duplication   of   Work   Exists   Under
Present   Law;   Edward   F.   Hammel   and

Leslie    V.    Huber....................... 839

Supervision   of   Federal   Labor  Necessary.. 840
Sales   in   Manhattan   and  The   Bronx   Com¬
pared   with   1916........................   S41

Reconstruction   of   the  Fire  Alarm   System. 842
Activities  of  the  New  York  Building Man¬
agers'    Association.....................843

Editorials...............................   844

Query   Department.......................  845

Real   Estate  Review   of  the  Week.........846

Legal   Notes   Affecting   Realty............. 846

Business   Firms   Make   Inroads   Into   57th

Street.................................847

Unique   Competition   at   Auction   Sale......849

Proposed   Brooklyn   Public   School.........859

Wages and Hours of Labor in 1916........S59

Building    Material    Market................ 858

Classified   Buyers*   Guide..................  869

Current   Building   Operations.............. 858

Departmental    Rulings...................867

Leases...................................   853

Personal   and   Trade   Notes................ 860

Private   Sales   of   the   Week...............850

Real    Estate   Notes........................  856

Statistical   Table   of   the   Week............  857

Trade   and   Technical   Society   Events......  866

Wholesale   Material    Market...............  859





NOTICE.

IN accordance with rule
LXXXVI of the Supreme Court
General Rules of Practice, the
Record and Guide has been des¬
ignated by the Appellate Division
of the First Department, for the
publication of all legal notices,
and such insertion in the Record
and Guide will be accepted as ful¬
filling all requirements of the law.





Night   Sessions.

A movement to have sessions of com¬
missioners in street and park opening
condemnation proceedings in Queens
held in the evening, so that prop¬
erty owners may attend without loss
of time from their business, recom¬
mends itself as one which would per¬
mit a more general participation by
property owners to the benefit not only
of themselves, but to the city.

If the night sessions of the local
improvement boards, inaugurated a
year ago by Borough President
Maurice E. Connolly, may be taken as
a precedent they should prove popular.
Hunc^reds of property owners attend
those meetings, and the theory is that
if matters are fully discussed before
a decision is reached there will be less
dissatisfaction afterward.

The civic organizations to make
application to the new city administra¬
tion, that action be taken to the end
that street condemnation proceeding
sessions be held at night, include asso¬
ciations of real estate men, and this
shows how keenly they are alive to the
interests of property owners and of
the  city.

There is some doubt as to just what
action may be necessary, as it appears
to be uncertain whether the city offi¬
cials have authority over the commis¬
sioners, who are representatives of the
Supreme Court, and it is possible that
application would have "to be made to
the Supreme Court should the commis¬
sioners not be agreeable to the pro¬
posal.

It is argued that the proceedings are
held under the direction of the Cor¬
poration Counsel, and that the Board
of Estimate could direct that official.
However, the plan itself is a good one,
and it is well that the matter should
be brought to official attention. The
exact status may thus be determined.





Liberty  Loan Activities.

A conference was held recently in
Washington between Secretary McAdoo
and other treasury officials and repre¬
sentatives from Liberty Loan organiza¬
tions all over the country, which in¬
cluded officials of the Federal Reserve
Banks. Plans for future Liberty Loan
campaigns were perfected and an
organization at once wider and closer
was arranged for. Rural communities
and small towns and small cities par¬
ticularly will feel the effect of the new
campaign  plans.

Failure of rural communities to sub¬
scribe relatively as liberally as the
metropolitan districts was generally
ascribed not to lack of patriotism, but
lack of thorough organization and in¬
tensive campaigning. In future cam¬
paigns every agency will be used in the
rural districts as well as in the cities.
The women's organizations will be very
active and hearty cooperation between
them and the other organizations is
assured.

Educational work in the schools of
the country is to be stressed, and
through the schools generally, there¬
fore, educational campaigns are to be
carried on all over the country not only
during Liberty Loan campaigns, but in
the intervals between.





Coa!   Card   System.

Too much stress cannot be laid upon
the necessity for the conservation of
coal, and, though most people think that
they are conversant with the situation,
still, unless present signs fail, the situ¬
ation will become more acute as the
cold weather continues.

The Government took over the rail¬
roads this week and Secretary of the
Treasury William G. McAdoo was ap¬
pointed Director-General of Railroads.
It is felt that this move will stimulate
the movement of coal, for it has been
contended that there is a large quantity
of coal already mined, but is located
in "bottle-neck" yards, which make ship¬
ments delayed. It is certainly essential
that all the supply be made available
to consumers, the Government require¬
ments having priority. Nevertheless,
the householder must be considered, for
heat is an essential to good health.

Building managers have been cogni¬
zant of the situation for some time,
for they have been face to face with
the facts for several months past. The
danger lies in those who have a supply
on hand not conserving their fuel, for
it is doubtful whether they realize the
difficulty which will be encountered
when they desire to replenish their
empty bins.

The Government demands are going to
be met. It is proper that they should
be. The war now waging in Europe is
dependent upon supplies of men and
materials from this country, and condi¬
tions such as existed the past week,
when 100 ships were prevented from
leaving port through lack of coal, must
not   occur   again.

New York City will feel the weight
of the Governmental regulations. Talk
will cease and action taken, so property
owners and agents might well be pre¬
pared to face the inevitable. State Fuel
Administrator Albert H. Wiggin rec¬
ommended this week that a coal card
system be put in operation. This, or
another drastic measure, is proper at
this time, for then it will be fully de¬
termined just who is entitled to a sup¬





ply, and hoarding will be eliminated, at
least  to  a  considerable  degree.

It is proposed that every prospective
purchaser of coal fill out a card stating
how much coal he wants and why he
needs this amount, how much he con¬
sumed last year and how long he ex¬
pects the supply to last. Other cities
have adopted this system with success,
and unless present plans miscarry, it
will be put into effect immediately
throughout New York State.

More coal has been mined this year
than last, in fact than during any year
in the history of the country, but the
fact remains that the demand has been
far greater in proportion than the pro¬
duction. There is no large reserve sup¬
ply in any part of the country, and we
are now living on ? practically "hand-to-
mouth" basis. We are now facing a
crisis dependent on freshly mined coal.

The obligation will not alone rest
upon the buyer of coal, for the distrib¬
utor must also take his share of the
responsibility. Penalties have been
provided for dealers who do not co¬
operate and assist the Government, and
the word has been passed along that
they will be  dealt  with  severely.

Mr. Wiggin is reported as having said:
"We are going to proceed slowly and
thoroughly. Our method will be educa¬
tional, reaching every consumer of fuel,
showing why he must do his part to help
the city conserve it; fuel supply. If this
fails we are going to use the 'big
stick,' and will take drastic measures.
The present program is that the con¬
sumer will be warned and if he persists,
his  supply will  be  cut off"

These are not idle words. Everyone
will do well to heed them and act in co¬
operation with the Government, for per¬
sonal inconvenience will not be consid¬
ered. The Government is going to win
this war, and will use every proper
means in its power to accomplish this
result.





Skilled Mechanics  in the War.

To the average lay mind it has been
difficult to fully realize the complexity
of modern warfare. Only after much
thought and consideration of contem¬
poraneous history is it possible to vis¬
ualize the vast forces of skilled man¬
power required to maintain a large field
force at the maximum of military ef¬
ficiency. In order to attain this end
great bodies of almost every type of
skilled workmen are essential, not only
for the necessary work at home but also
for actual military duty at the foreign
bases or immediately in the rear of the
fighting fronts.

The conflagration that has now em¬
broiled the greater portion of the civil¬
ized world might well be termed a war
of the builders, as the building industry,
in all of its respective branches has been
called upon for such a substantial part
of the work involved. The side that is
in the position to mass the greatest
force of engineer and mechanical troops
and furnish to them the best materials
and most modern equipment, with it will
rest the balance of power that will go
far in insuring ultimate victory. Effi¬
ciency in the Quartermaster's Depart¬
ment of a modern army is fully as essen¬
tial as highly trained and equipped
combat units.

At the present time the recruiting
service of the United States Army is
making a strong plea for the voluntary
enlistment of a great force of skilled
mechanics for practically every line of
industrial work. In this group of men
the major portion desired are workmen
familiar with the building trades in al¬
most all of its manifold branches. Now,
the nation needs highly skilled mechan¬
ics as badly as it needs machine gun¬
ners, sharpshooters, aviators or other
first line troops, for these mechanics
are desired for work that will make pos¬
sible efficient maneuvering of the ac¬
tual fighting forces. Without an ad-
quate number of skilled men behind
the fighting lines, the strength and ef¬
ficiency of the combat troops would be
greatly  impaired.





RE^CORD   AND   GUIDE   IS   IN   ITS   FIFTIETH   YEAR   OF   CONTINUOUS   PUBLICATION.