694





RECORD  AJyD  GUIDB





November 18, 1916





INTERESTING   PROBLEMS   BROUGHT   TO   LIGHT
AT   MEETING   OF   BUILDING   MANAGERS





THE regular m.onthly dinner meeting
of the New York Building Man¬
agers' Association was held at the Ho¬
tel Breslin on Wednesday evening, No¬
vember 8. B. E, Martin, the president
of the association, read letters from Ru¬
dolph P. Miller, chairman of the Board
of Standards and Appeals; Alfred R.
Kirkus, sub-chairman of the Committee
on Definition of a Factory Building, and
other organizations, in response to the
request for suggestions for a proposed
bill to be introduced in the next Legis¬
lature modifying the definition of a fac¬
tory building.

A. C. Bang, chairman of the Depart¬
ment Orders Committee, stated that he
had had a talk with Tenement House
Commissioner Murphy in an endeavor
to get the Teneinent House Department
to force the tenants instead of the land¬
lords to take care of certain violations.
The commissioner stated that he expect¬
ed, in the near future, to have his inspec¬
tors instruct the tenants in the house, to
maintain their own toilets in a cleanly
condition, and to direct certain viola¬
tions for blocking exits and fire escapes
against tenants instead of landlords. Mr.
Bang also brought out the question of
telephones in apartment houses, to see
if there js not some way to prevail ttpon
the telephone comjjany to install indi¬
vidual slot machines in apartment
houses. After a discussion on this mat¬
ter the chairman announced that he
would appoint a special committee to
work in co-operation with the apartment
house committee in taking this question
up with the telephone company.

Mr. Class brought up the question of
the new proposed city ordinance which
vSfOuld make it obligatory for the owner
to maintain in the vestibule of each
apartraent house a list of the tenants in
the house, and after discussion it was
resolved that this ordinance be referred
to the .A.partment House Committee with
a request that they consider the question
and report their recommendations to the
association.

The  following  names  were  presented
for   membership:     Douglas   Cruikshank,
of the Cruikshank Company, 141  Broad¬
wav, and R. W. Murray, of Douglas L.
Elliman  &  Company, 414 Madison  ave¬
nue,   and   were   unanimously   elected   to
membership.    The   chairman   announced
the  appointment   of  the   following  gen¬
tlemen   as   a   nominating   com.mittee   to
select candidates for officers and vacan¬
cies occurring in the Executive Commit¬
tee in 1917:    M. D. Littlefield, chairman,
14 Wall street: W. E. Barton, 340 Madi¬
son  avenue,  and  J.   G.  Young,   10  East
33rd street.    In  order that some  of the
newer members might be better posted
as to the scope of the recent work of the
association,   the   president   read   a   com¬
prehensive    report    showing    the    good
work done during the past year, as fol¬
lows:    "We  feel  that  possibly  some  of
the newer members or those  who  have
not been quite active may not be posted
as to  the  scope  of  some  of the  recent
important   work.     We   think   it   would
be   well   to   mention   that   the   nominat¬
ing   committee   have    certain   work   in
mind   when   selecting   the   new   candi¬
dates.    The  organization  is  now in  its
third  year  and  we   flatter  ourselves   on
the  fact  that  we  are  better known  and
perhaps more  favorably  known  for  our
activities   than   many   of   the   older  and
larger   New   York   civic   organizations.
This is not mentioned in disparagem.ent
of our  friends,  many  of whom  we  are
pleased   to   co-operate   with.     We   have
now before the authorities six important
amendments  or  changes  in  laws  which
we   have   inaugurated   and   will   follow
closely and   we  hope  for  a  satisfactory
conclusion.    They are as follows:

"This is now undergoing a thorough in¬
vestigation by the Federal Trade Com¬
mission. The following quotation is
from a recent letter from the Federal
Trade Commission, Washington, D. C:
"We propose not only to answer





the  questions  contained in the  Sen¬
ate   resolution,   but   we   propose   to
say what we think ought to be done
to deal with the situation in a prac¬
tical way.    It is  not  enough  for us
to  say  that  the  increases  in  wages
at the coal  m.ines does or does  not
justify  the  advance  in  prices  which
have   been   made   to   the   consumer.
We also intend to learn whether or
not   the   anthracite   area   constitutes
a   natural   monopoly   and   therefore
justifies the policies of government
regulations as well as  conservation.
Final report will not be made until
Congress   convenes.     In   the   mean¬
time the question of whether or not
anthracite   coal   is   a   natural   mon¬
opoly will  be thoroughly canvassed
and   a   positive   conclusion   reached,
and it is believed that the ne.xt step
will   be   to   investigate   the   process
and   cost   of   production   and   fix   a
reasonable  limit  of  profit  and then
fix a  maximum price."
"In  this work we have  the  co-opera¬
tion  of  m.any  New  York  organizations.
Apparently, many-thou.ght that this mat¬
ter   was   .going   to   fade   away   without
decisive    action.      However,    when    we
started this investigation with the Wash¬
ington authorities, which resulted in re¬
ferring the matter to the Federal Trade
Commission, we did not expect decision
until   the   matter   was   investigated   by
this   Commission   and   referred   to   Con¬
gress, who authorized this investigation,
this  as  a  result  of pressure  throughout
the   country   started   by  the   New   York
Building Managers' Association and the
Real   Estate  Board  of  New  York.    Re¬
cently   a   few   members    haye   inquired
regarding the  sharp  rise  in  coal  prices;
these  conditions  are  also  being  investi¬
gated by the Federal Trade Commission.
Believing that possibly we might secure
prompt    action    on    recent    local    high
prices,      I     referred      the     matter     to
United   States   District   Attorney   Mar¬
shal's office.    The District Attorney ad¬
vised me that he was investigating con¬
ditions   by   request   of   the   Washington
authorities, and that if any of our mem¬
bers  had  proof  of  unjust  rise  in  price,
by   local   dealers,   they   would   welcome
such   information.     Therefore,   I   would
be pleased to receive any specific charges
which   members   have.     Please   remem¬
ber, however, that they must be specific.
"The   question   of  ash   removal   from
office buildings by the authorities, in re¬
turn for ta.xes paid, many are now sup¬
porting a unit on which they receive no
return.    This matter is now under con¬
sideration by the Board of Estimate, but
we fear,  owing to the  excessive budget
this  year,  that  no  good  results  will  be
obtained.     However,  by keeping behind
this   matter   we   hope  to   eventually  ar¬
rive  at  some  good  result—or agitate  a
change in  the present law.    In  this we
also have the  co-operation of many or¬
ganizations and individuals representing
office  building property valued at about
$250,000,000. '^We  have  signed  petitions
on file for this amount.

"At our last meeting the question of
insurance rates was taken up. Fire
Commissioner Adam.son stated that the
fire insurance companies collected about
$30,000,000 in premiums in 1915 in the
Metropolitan District, which comprises
of Manhattan, Bronx and certain sec¬
tions of Brooklyn, Their losses were
estimated at about $6,000,000. Notwith¬
standing the insurance companies' de¬
nials of excessive premiums, we believe
that they are paying handsome pre¬
miums. It is possible, however, a por¬
tion of this excess charge may be ac¬
counted for by outside losses which New
York should not pay for excessively, but
we will continue to do so as long as
people   are   submissive.

"We have accomplished betterments
for employees in many respects. How¬
ever, when we find that the authorities
are not quite able to cope with the labor
situation, we do not expect to accom¬
plish very tnvich at this time.   However,





with a spirit of co-operation we believe
that we can more justly act toward em¬
ployer and employee and in the near
future  show good results.

"The following matters have been
placed before committees of the Board
of Standards and Appeals, at our re¬
quest, on some of, which we have the
co-operation  of  other  associations.

a.  Preparing or amending rules for
fire escapes as a secondary means
of exit on factory buildings.

b.  Fire alarm systems for factory
buildings.

c.  To frame a proposed amendm.ent
to the Labor Law to define a
factory  and  factory  building.

d.  Amending hoistway law calling
for a platform over sidewalk.
Members of our association had
a model hoistway installed in a
building and invited the commit¬
tee to inspect, the result of which
we hope to hear at an early date.

"Occasionally I have heard rumors
that some uptown members believe that
our organization is of little value to any
but downtown members. I believe this
an error and possibly some of our
friends are .not posted in our work. We
believe everyone will agree that to either
uptown or downtown member, every¬
one of the questions outlined are of
equal interest to all members. Of course,
occasionally a specific point will come
up that is of more interest to one sec¬
tion than the other, but all members are
requested when they have anything of
interest or are seeking information to
please communicate with the ofifice, and
we will see to it that they receive a
prompt and we hope satisfactory reply.
The many w-ho have benefited by this
method will confirm  this  statement."

H.   L.   Eckersen   advised   the   meeting
that   the   following   law   was   being   en¬
forced  relating to  factory  buildings:
Section 79-c. No door leading into
or  out of any  factory  or  any  floor
thereof   shall   be   locked,   bolted   or
fastened   during   working   hOurs.

.W. E. Barton spoke at some length on
the- apartment house situation in general,
bringing up the problems that confront
the apartnient house managers today.
Following is a synopsis of Mr. Barton's
address to the members:

"The apartment house managers ap¬
preciate the splendid results accomplish¬
ed by this association, and they have
benefited quite as much as their down¬
town friends by the constructive legisla¬
tion which has been enacted largely as
the result of the association's activities
and by the opportunity to meet the chiefs
of the city, state and county departments
more or less intimately. But I must
confess that many of the discussions
have lacked interest for the reason that
they have centered around phases of
the problems which only occasionally
enter into my daily work. And I know
that my impressions are shared by other
apartm.ent  house  men.

"The city's regulation applying to side¬
walk hoists is among the least of my
troubles, and the cost of painting by the
sauare foot does not affect my calcula-
tioi>s, but I am keenly interested in
knowing, for instance, to what extent
the Consolidated Gas Company is re¬
sponsible for the maintenance of their
rented gas ranges. Our unsolved prob¬
lems have more to do with the service
and less with the physical plant.

"The average apartment house base¬
ment is notably short of space, which
means that eom.plex high-pressure plants
arc going out of favor, and modern im¬
provements have a tendency towards
simplifying the physical problems. We
have our heating troubles, our circula¬
tion problems and the same difficulties
in keeping the old plants running that
you downtown men have, but these prob¬
lems can all be worked out along cer¬
tain well defined lines and competent
expert advice upon these subjects is ob-
(Continued on page 695.)