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December lo, 1910. RECORD AND GUIDE 1005 NEWS CULLED FROM THE WEEK'S DOINGS PROPERTY OWNERS WORRIED. By Labor and Building Department Orders —Test Case on Fire-Prooling Dumb¬ waiter Shafts. An interesting- meeting of the Harlem Property-Owners' Association was held on Thursday evening. This organization is taking a prominent part not only in the affairs of the district but its mem¬ bers are also interested in all matters affecting real estate generally. A committee was appointed to investi¬ gate the strenuous efforts of the Latior Department inspectors who are con¬ tinuing their efforts to force loft owners to increase the number of lavatories in their lofts. It was agreed at the meet¬ ing that in such cases the lessees should he ordered to install the additional lavatories, not the owners. It generally happens, it was said, that when a lessee takes a loft, he has in his employ a certain number of workmen. As his business increases, he- hires additional help. After a certain period inspectors of the Labor Department call, and flnd that owing to the increased number of employes additional lavatories should be installed. When the lease was made, however, the lessee did not have as many employes as he had when the inspectors called. The landlord, it was claimed, is not to blame for this increase, and it was contended that he should not bear the additional expense. Some of the members declared that the Labor Department was too stringent in its dealings with loft owners, that many of them were, for that reason, going over to New Jersey. A committee was appointed to interview uommissioner Williams on tbe subject. It was announced that a test case is now pending concerning the fire-proofing of dumb-waiter shafts in buildings erected prior to 1901. Early in the year. Fire Commissioner Waldo attempted to force owners of such buildings to make the dumb-waiter shafts fire-proof. The Hariem Association took the matter to the courts, contending that the Fire Commissioner had no authority in the matter, and that furthermore his action ■was contrary to law. Fire Commissioner Waldo took the matter to the Corpora¬ tion Counsel who suggested that the former take it up with the Building De¬ partment. Superintendent Miller has issued over 2,500 orders to owners to fire-proof their dumb-waiter shafts, and it is this ac¬ tion which has resulted in the making of a test case. The Title Guarantee Sc Trust Company loaned to J. Frederick Menke $180,000 on the 7-sty brick elevator apartment at the corner of Lenox av and 141st st. The mortgage is for three years at 5 per cent. Wm. Pawley, 37 Nassau st, who has been home ill for the past ^veek, is again back at his offlce. Wm. E. Baker has moved from 111 Broadway to his new oflice at 503 5th av, where he will conduct a general broker¬ age business, Mr. Baker was associated with the late Wm. Buhler and is now managing his estate. Edward P, Meany, who is interested in several coal mining companies, is the buyer of the new S-sty building at the southeast corner of,Morton and Green¬ wich sts, jKe sale of.which by Pease & Eilimaii for James H. Cruikshank was recently reported. The building occupies a' plot^ 100x102, and is leased for a term of years to the General Electric Com¬ pany, which will occupy it about March 1, Bronx Water Front Inspected. The Barge Canal Terminal Commission of the State of New Tork last Thursday were shown the water Iront of The Bronx by a delegation from the North Side Board of Trade. Assembling in the Board rooms, ISSth st. and 3d av., the members and guests were addressed by President J. Harris Jones, Dock Commis¬ sioner Calvin Tomkins and Chairman Frank M. Williams of the Commission. Commissioner Tomkins said his depart¬ ment was preparing plans for the de¬ velopment of The Bronx waterfront. Commissioner Williams said his commis¬ sion were seeking a site for a terminal i\'here the barges from the new State canal could discharge their cargoes for convenient transhipment by rail. Leaving the Board rooms at 11.45 a. m. the party proceeded to Trimmer's dock, loSth St. and the Harlem river, where the U. S. Revenue cutter "Guide" was boarded, and proceeded up the Har¬ lem for an inspection of both banks as far as the Hudson. At Morris Heights John J, Armory, president of the ship¬ building industry at that point was taken on. The party expressed interest in the Webb Shipbuilding Home at Fordham Heights. Passing down the Harlem and through Hell Gate to the East river attention was called to the great saving in time which would be effected if the Bronx Kills were rendered navigable. The Commission seemed favorably im¬ pressed with the deep water front and other advantages of Port Jlorris and ex¬ amined Barretto's Point and the water front just beyond Fort Schuyler on Long Island Sound. Returning by way of the Long Island Shore, Flushing Bay was inspected. The plan to connect that bay with Jamaica Bay by a canal across the island did not seem to find favor. The party disembarked at 13Sth st. and Har¬ lem river at 4.45 p. m. Among those on the trip were Messrs, Frank M. Williams, Alexander R. Smith, Fred C. Stevens, Edward A. Bond, and Harvey J. Donaldson of the Commission; ■ Congressman Joseph A. Goulden, Al¬ derman Lawrence J. Fagan, Congressman- elect Steven B. Ayres, Borough Secretary George T. Donnelly, President J. Harris Jones, ex-presidents Albert E. Davis, Olin J. Stephens and John F. Steeves, Secre¬ tary Charles E. Reid, Treasurer Charles W. Bogart, Commissioner Alphonse Weiner, Samuel Trimmer, Wesley Trim¬ mer, John J. Armory, Louis A. Risse. John J. Bell, Francis N. Howland, Louis Meekes and Chas F. Mehltretter. Two important resolutions were intro¬ duced and passed by the Board of Esti¬ mate at last Tuesday's session for the benefit of City Islanders. First, more lighting on all streets of City Island, and, second, the, petition of the Union Railway Company for a franchise on Eastern Boulevard. Work on the temporary bridge at the Boston Post road over the Hutchinson River is progressing slowly. The staff of employees in the various departments of the Bronx Borough Hall now "close down" at 4.30 p. m. on account of darkness, as the building is being re¬ wired and the electric current has been cut off. The' work is to be complete by the end of this week. A 30-minute lunch is the temporary rule to make up the dif¬ ference lost in the afternoon. William A. Cokeley, a real estate dealer of Westchester, was the first to arrive with his sleigh at Woodmansten Inn after the snow storm of Monday. The man¬ ager opened a bottle of w'ne. BRONX OWNERS BADLY AD¬ VISED. Advantage Not Taken of the New Cession Law Which Saves Time and Money. Editor of the Record and Guide: The indifference of the average prop¬ erty owner to matters which directly af¬ fect his material welfare was never illustrated more forcibly than recently by his attitude toward the new cession law, which permits the individual owner to deed to the City of New York that part of his land which is to be taken for street purposes and by so doing avoiding the assessments usually levied by Com¬ missioners of Estimate and Assessment when title to the street is to be acquired. A short time ago 4,000 circular letters, from the Borough President, bearing on this subject, were distributed through¬ out the Borough of The Bronx, calling the attention of the property owners and various property owners' associations to. the beneflts to be derived under the pro¬ visions of the new law. It was shown that assessments for acquiring title to the street would not be levied against those who ceded; that the time (from two to three years) usually taken to have title v-ested in the city, would be short¬ ened by one-half, and that physical im¬ provements, for which the property own-. ers are clamoring throughout the year, would be accomplished speedily. Pro¬ gress in procuring these improvements, however, is prevented because title to the streets has not been acquired legally. This opportunity would have saved the property owners of The Bronx a million dollars. On one street, where regulating, grading and sewering are needed badly, these circular letters were delivered by messenger to the owners personally and only two owners responded. On other streets some of the owners were willing to cede, but asked the Borough authori- ties to inform them first which of their neighbors had done so already. The large real estate corporations and owners of many parcels of land on a street have taken advantage of the new cession law and whole streets on the west side of The Bronx, in the Van Cortlandt section, have come into possession of the City of New York without expense to the property owners, thus insuring the speedy vesting of title to the streets and hastening public improvements. But in the Van Nest and Unionport sections, many real estate brokers have advised their' clients against ceding and in conse¬ quence improvements are, retarded in lo¬ calities where they are needed badly. It is not to be expected that a property own¬ er wil! cede his land for street purposes when a building or part of a building or costly fence is to be taken or when the owner will be left with a very short lot, _ but under ordinary conditions it would be prudent to cede and avoid the expense of condemnation proceedings. As these improvements must go on, it is the intention of the Borough President to request the Corporation Counsel to make application for the appointment of Commissioners to condemn the land to be taken for street purposes. Public notices are now posted on six¬ teen streets, giving property owners sixty days in which to cede before Commis¬ sioners are appointed. Damage maps, showing the exact lines ' of the streets and the extent to which property will be affected, may be seen at the Bureau of Information, Borough Hall, The Bronx. The following is a list of those streets: Adams St., Cottage P!., Fillmore st., Gar-