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6d4 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.