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hecord and guide





May 12, 1917





MEASURES     AFFECTING    REAL     ESTATE





Bills  Which  Have  Been  Approved  or  Disapproved  By
Committee Appointed By Real Estate Board of New York





■yHE Real Estate Board calls the at-
■'■ tention of its members and taxpay¬
ers generally to the status of the follow¬
ing important legislative measures. Gov¬
ernor Whitman should be asked to sign
the following bills amending the Labor
Law, all of which have been passed;

Assembly Int. 146, Bewley, making a
new definition of a factory and a factory
building. In the former case the require¬
ment is increased from one or more per¬
sons to six persons employed at manu¬
facturing. In building so occupied struc¬
tural changes are not to be required.
In factory buildings structural changes
are not to be required when the occu¬
pancy is less than 25 or one-tenth of the
total occupancy.

Assembly Int. 149, Bewley, giving the
authorities discretionary power as to the
necessity for enclosing counterweights
of elevators and requiring the lighting
of passenger elevators only during work¬
ing hours or when in use.

Assembly Int. ISO, Bewley, providing
that no point in an unsprinkled building
shall be more than 100 feet from an exit
and 150 feet in a sprinkled building, and
giving the authorities discretionary
power as to the necessity for additional
exits when the floor space exceeds 5,000
square feet.

Governor Whitman should also be
asked to approve Senator Lawson's bill
Int. 1176, which would permit the con¬
version of three-story and basement
brick or stone private dwellings into
three-family tenements, with one family





THE accompanying report on
bills before the Legislature is
furnished by the Real Estate Board
of New York. It is prepared by
a sub-committee of the Legislation
and Taxation Committee and a
sub-committee of the Real Estate
Laws Committee, acting jointly.
The Committee consists of the fol¬
lowing;

Robert E. Dowling, Chairman
Legislation and Taxation Commit¬
tee; Samuel P. Goldman, Chairman
Real Estate Laws Committee;
John P. Leo and David A. Clark¬
son, Vice-Chairmen Legislation
and Taxation Committee; Carlisle
Norwood, B. E. Martin, William
J. Tully, George W. Olvany, Stan¬
ley M, Isaacs, Henry R. Chittick,
William B. Ellison and Harry
Percy David.





to each floor, and would bring these
houses under the jurisdiction of the
Tenement House Department. This bill
would bring into use several thousand
dwellings which are now a loss to their
owners and are in a measure a loss to
the city through reduction in ta.xable
values. It would also furnish accommo¬
dations for many thousands of families
who would prefer to live in this type of
house   rather   than   the   tall   tenement.

Property owners will be interested to
know of the following bills which have
all nassed and are no* on the statuts
books.                             ,

Chapter   410,   amending   section   207,





Tax Law, relative to lien of corporation
ta.x which became due prior to .April 1,
1917, and has not been referred to the
Attorney General, such taxes not to be
a lien on real estate as against purchasers
or holders in good faith within ten years
from   the  time  the  tax   became  due.

Chapter 405, permitting trust com¬
panies to make loans on titles registered
under the Torrens Land Title Registra¬
tion Law.

Chapter 385, providing that invest¬
ments in bond and mortgage by a trust
company may be made by apportioning
to any estate or fund a part interest in
the bond or mortgage.

Chapter 426, providing for a commis¬
sion to co-operate with a New Jersey
Commission to investigate port facilities
at the  Port of New  York.

Chapter 63, permitting the payment of
interest on tax liens to either the holder
of the tax lien or the Comptroller,

Chapter 292. providing for the revoca¬
tion of the Charter or authority to do
business in the State of corporations
who conduct their business in another
state in such manner as to create a nui¬
sance in this State by discharge of dust,
smoke, gas, steam or offensive odors
or fumes.

Chapter 258, providing that a tentative
city budget shall be prepared before Oc¬
tober 10 and that after the filing of the
budget on October 20, no new items may
be added nor any increases made.

Chapter 187, permitting savings banks
and savings and loan associations to
make loans on titles registered under
the Torrens Land Title Registration
Law.





BUILDING    MANAGERS    HOLD    MEETING





Legislation and Other
Association Brought to

""PHE regular meeting of the New York
■*• Building Managers' Association was
held in the Equitable Building on May 1,
There were no outside speakers present,
and the meeting w'as devoted to the dis¬
cussion of business and matters of inter¬
est to members.

During the month the Legislative
Committee of the association examined
and acted upon a large number of bills.
A report of the findings is on file in the
office of the association. .A. bill was in¬
troduced in the Legislature, prepared by
the Real Estate Board and approved by
the association's committee, to compel
all orders and summonses from any
court to be served on the owner if with¬
in the jurisdiction of the court, and if
not, then upon the agent, only upon
proof by affidavit through the court that
the owner cannot be located.

Upon the request of the Department
of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity, a
resolution was introduced in the Board
of Aldermen authorizing the Commis¬
sioner to install water meters in apart¬
ment houses. The Water Commissioner,
at a hearing before the Welfare Commit¬
tee of the Board, amended his request
for such authority^ so as to include only
elevator anartment houses. The Build¬
ing Managers' Association opposes this
resolution on the ground of undue dis¬
crimination.

A bill was introduced in the Legisla¬
ture by Senator Wicks to amend the
Penal Law in relation to agreements or
contracts for privileges to dealers with
occupants of apartment or tenement
houses, which prohibits an owner of an
apartment or tenement house from en¬
tering into any agreement with dealers
of fuel, ice, food or other commodities,
for the purpose of allowing such dealers
to sell or deliver such commodities to
the occupants of such houses; offenders
to be punished by fine or imprisonment.
In order to obtain more efficient service





Matters of Interest to

Attention of Members

the association favored an amendment
to this bill giving the owner or agent
the privilege to request tenants to pur¬
chase such commodities from one con¬
cern, if this is done without any mone¬
tary consideration to them. A bill also
was introduced in the Senate amending
the Labor Law requiring in all buildings
three stories in height or more, that all
windows above the second story be so
equipped and so constructed that the
exterior surface of the sash and glass
may be cleaned from the inside of the
building.

Mr. Loley, chairman of the Equipment
and Supply Committee reported that he
expects, in the near future, to send out
price lists of standard supplies, together
with a letter asking the co-operation of
all members in obtaining the proper list
of standard supplies, together with
prices. It is believed that this will bs
of great benefit to members if they will
give the Committee the proper support,
and it is earnestly urged that all building
managers co-operate with the commit¬
tee.

The association has received from the
Park Commissioner a request that, wher¬
ever possible, members offer to the De¬
partment, for temporary use, during the
next few months, all vacant lots suitable
for the production of foodstuffs. Such
offers are to be addressed to the Com¬
missioner of Parks, Municipal Building.
If. upon investigation, it is found that
the lot is suitable for the growing of
foodstuffs, the use of such lot will be
assigned by the Department to responsi¬
ble associations and individuals. The
permit for the use of such lot is re¬
vocable upon thirty days' written notice
to the Department' of' Parks. In view
of the desirability of increasing food pro¬
duction inside of the city limits at the
present time, it is urged that all who
possibly can. act upon this suggestion.

It is urged that members of the asso¬
ciation  send to the office the names of





all applicants for positions as window
cleaners, porters, elevator operators, etc.
The association has been asked to sup¬
ply a number of emploj-ees during the
past   few  months.

In response tp a suggestion by one of
the members to the Travelers' Insurance
Company, that there should be some re¬
duction of rates on elevator insurance
by reason of the installation of automatic
safety devices on elevator gates, a reply
was received from the company statin.g
that no reduction could be allowed. The
company claims that it is now losing
money on elevator insurance under the
present rates, and that there is a likeli¬
hood that in the near future the rates
will be revised upward.

The Legislative Committee has re¬
ceived a preliminary draft of the pro¬
posed rules for automatic sprinklers, as
set forth by the Board of Standards and
.Appeals. A copy is on file in the ofiice
of the association, and is of interest to
all who manage sprinklered buildings.

.At the last monthly meeting the mat¬
ter of combining, with a view of forcing
coal dealers to make contracts for the
ensuing year at reasonable prices, was
thoroughly discussed. It seems pretty
well established that the retail coal deal¬
ers in New York are at present unable
to obtain any contracts from the mines.
This being the case, it was decided that
it would not be possible at this time to
attempt to force an issue on this matter.

Guyon C. Earle. of Earle & Calhoun,
was elected a member of the association.
----------•---------

Heroism Commended.
Chairman Oscar S. Straus of the Pub¬
lic Service Commission has written a
letter to Norman E. Jett of Brooklyn,
New York, who with three other work¬
men in the face of imminent danger to
themselves rescued a fellow workman
buried at the recent cave-in on subway
work at St. Felix street and Hanson
place, Brooklyn. The men who engaged
in the work of rescue with Jett were
Michael Higgins, Joseph Basile and Ar¬
thur Robinson. Chairman Straus con¬
gratulated all four on behalf of the Pub¬
lic Service Commission for their hero¬
ism.