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BUILDERS
AlTD
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 18, 1915
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I NEW CAMPAIGN FOR CONSOLIDATION
Building Inspection Evils to be the Subject of Further Legislation—Con- |
ference Committee Will Prepare a Bill for Estimate Board's Approval |
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HUNDREDS of buildings in New
York City will continue to hold out
dangers of such loss of life and prop¬
erty as were sufifered in the Triangle
Waist fire and the recent Diamond fac¬
tory fire as long as six city and State
departments make conflicting rulings
regarding the construction and altera¬
tion of buildings, according to Alfred
R. Kirkus, chairman of a Conference
Committee of business^ men who seek,
through legislative action, consolidation
of inspection functions of all city and
State departments having to do with
building construction, alteration and
structural changes.
Enforcement Now Impossible.
Chairman Kirkus says the automobile,
banking, drygoods, hotel, real estate
and allied interests demand the rigid
enforcement of existing laws for the
protection of life and property, but he
declares enforcement impossible while
authority is divided between the Build¬
ing, Fire, Health, State Labor, Tene¬
ment House and Water Supply, Gas and
Electricity departments, and while each
one makes and tries to enforce rulings
at variance with the rulings of all the
others. The worst disasters in the city
in recent years, Mr. Kirkus says, can be
traced to multiplicity of inspections,
and he believes recurrence of them can
be stopped forever if one department is
made responsible for the rigid enforce¬
ment of the law.
Disregard of the Law.
"The Fire Prevention Bureau of the
Fire Department," continued Mr. Kir¬
kus, "had the enforcement of the law re¬
garding fire drills and the installation of
fire alarms in the Diamond factory in
Brooklyn. The inquest following the
fire brought out the fact that there were
neither drills nor alarms. The State
Labor Department is authorized by law
to enforce the provisions regarding the
building of fireproof or fire resisting
exits; to enforce the law regarding un¬
locked exits and e.xits opening outward.
None of these provisons for the safety
of tenants were enforced. The State
Labor Department requires counterbal¬
anced stairways, but in the Diamond
factory the stairway, when an attempt
was made to lower it, I am told, fell on
to the top of an exit door at the ground
level, making both e.xit and stairway
useless."
Conflicting Orders.
The impossibility of complying with
all orders of the various departments
is pointed out by Mr. Kirkus. who says
that the Tenement House Department
calls for ladders at the bottom of fire-
escapes while the State Labor Depart-
mend demands counterbalanced stair¬
ways. The last section of the new
Building Code dealing with exits from
buildings has been completed after the
views of experts from all over the
country had been consulted. In spite
of this thc Fire Prevention Bureau of
the Fire Department is issuing orders
regarding exits, having made rulings
which_are_entirely its own, and in no
THE Conference Committee of
Real Estate and Allied Inter¬
ests has been reorganized as a
Conference Committee of Real
Estate and Commercial Interests,
with Alfred R. Kirkus, of the Mer¬
chants' Association, as chairman.
A number of prominent merchants
have been elected to the executive
committee and a vigorous campaign
will be prosecuted this winter to
obtain favorable official action for
a simplification of building inspec¬
tion in Greater New York, in order
that there shall be less annoyance
and expense to property owners in
the future.
way related to the provisions of the
Building Code.
"How can any one know what the law
is?" Mr. Kirkus continued. "No matter
how much one would like to obey it,
it is impossible. We certainly do not
intend to remove safeguards. Far from
it. By the removal of divided responsi¬
bility we expect to erect a real safe¬
guard. It has been proven that divided
responsibility makes possible the locked
door and prevents proper fire escapes
or means of exit, as well as fire drills
and alarms.
"We want consolidation of all inspec¬
tions of buildings to be erected in New
York City. Then it will be necessary
for builders to file plans with one de¬
partment which same department will
give a certificate that the building is
properly constructed or altered. Such
building can then be sold or leased and
the buyer or lessee can feel assured
that he is not the owner or tenant of a
structure that any hour may take a ter¬
rible toll of life.
Fear Too Many Bills.
"The approval of the consolidation
plan is so great that various officials and
organizations are reported to be prepar¬
ing bills. The only fear we have is that
too many bills may be drawn with the
purpose of bringing about this result,
and that we may be compelled to ask
that we be defended trom our alleged
friends. Those who now seem to be en¬
deavoring to efifect a compromise an_d
who are trying to unite factions are
perhaps reckoning without their host.
They are apparently not recognizing
the fact that no matter what bill is in¬
troduced, it will have to be satisfactory
to the Legislature. A bill that might
lie acceptable to the Mayor, or a bill
that might be satisfactory to the Bor¬
ough Presidents, or one that might be
satisfactory to both these factions might
still not be satisfactory to the Legisla¬
ture.
"That the bill which was presented
by the Conference Committee to the last
Legislature was satisfactory to it, is
proven by the fact that it passed the
Senate with but 3 negative votes, and
that it passed the Assembly with 106
votes in favor and only 23 votes in op¬
position. It is to be regretted that so
mtich time was lost in endeavoring to
bring about various compromises, had
this time not been lost the bill would
have been returned to the Legislature,
and beyond any question would have be¬
come a law."
Will Seek Estimate Board's Approval.
The Conference Committee on Nov.
2i wrote to the Board of Estimate and
Apportionment asking them to join in
preparing a bill or ofTer suggestions
towards the proposed consolidation. Mr.
McAneny, acting Mayor, replied that
within the next several days he would
have the drafts of bills proposed to rem¬
edy the existing conditions, and that he
would be glad to have the committee
meet with representatives of the city in
the matter at some time to be arranged
—certainly before December 10th.
"The 10th of December has come and
gone," said Mr. Kirkus, "and there has
been no conference, nor have we seen
aiiy draft of a bill as promised, so the
Conference Committee is drawing a bill
and will submit it to the Board of Esti¬
mate and Apportionment for suggest¬
ions or approval. The committee will
further a bill acceptable to a majority
of the members of the Board of Esti¬
mate and Apportionment.
General Consent Desired.
"We have every reason to believe that
when a proper bill is presented to the
Legislature it will meet with the same,
or even greater approval than was the
bill introduced last year. One thing that
the public may feel assured of is, that
this Conference Committee will not al¬
low factions to interfere with its con¬
structive work. Any bill that may pass
the Legislature will be returned to
it, if disapproved, in time to permit the
Legislature, which is the true repre¬
sentative of the people, to finally pass
on it.
"No person or organization or com¬
bination of organizations is authorized
to speak for the Conference Committee,
other than its chairman, but it asks all
to unite with it, with the one end in view
—that of the consolidation of the func¬
tions of all departments having jurisdic¬
tion over the construction, alteration and
structural change of buildings. If this
is accomplished, we can then get ready
to take up, if necessary, the subject of
concentrating the inspection functions
after the new or altered building has
been approved by the Consolidated De¬
partment,"
New Accessions.
H. B. Brundrette, President of the
Pacific Bank and Henry A. Schenck,
President of the Bowery Savings Bank,
have joined the Executive Committee of
the Conference Committee of organiza¬
tions working for consolidation of
building inspection. David H. Knott has
joined as representative of the Hotel
Men's Association, of which he is vice-
president.