Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

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200 RECORD AND (JUTDE February 16, 1918 V^sREAL ESTATE Devoted to Real Estate Building Construction and BuildingManagement in the Metropolitan District Founded March 21. 1868, by CLINTON W. SWEET Pubiished Every Saturday Bjr THE RECORD AND GUIDE CO. F. T. MILLER, Picsident J. W. FRANK, Secetary A Treasurer S. A. PAXSON, Business Manager A K. MACK, Editor H9 West 40th Street, New York (Telephone, 4800 Bryant.) "Bniered at the Fnst Office at New Tork, N. Y., as sccuiid-ciuss matter.''' Copyrifiht, 1917. by The Record and Guide Co. TABLE OF CONTENTS \ (Section One) Warehouse Capacity Must be Increased; Hon. Travis H. Whitney................ 195 Building Industries of New York Elects Officers and Directors................... 106 Board Holds Election..................... 196 Viaduct Across Bronx Valley.............. 196 E;Tect of W'ar on Capital and Labor; Dan 'Clifford B. Connelley.................... 19T Measures Affecting Real Estate............ 198 Queens a War Industry Center............. 198 The' Evolution of the Office Building; David E. Dallam..............................199 Editorials................................. 200 Query Department........................201 Tax Rate for 1918 to be Higher............ 201 Hearing on Torrens Bill................... 201 Real Estate Review....................... 202 Legal Notes Affecting Real Estate..........203 Board of Appeals Resigns................. 204 Building Zone Consents................... 204 General Hospital for Elizabeth............212 Building for January...................... 213 Hardware Convention.....................213 Building Material Market................. 211 Classified Buyers' Guide................... 222 Current Building Operations............... 211 Dfparimental Rulings..................... 221 Leases................................... 207 Personal and Trade Notes................. 214 Private Sales of the Week................. 204 Real Estate Notes........................ 210 Statistical Table of the Week.............. 210 Trade and Technical Society Events........221 Wholesale Material Market................ 212 Which do you prefer—to buy Liberty Bonds and War Saving Stamps or to have the Government obtain the neces¬ sary funds to carry on this war by direct taxation? The people of this country must decide either to make gilt- edged investments in Federal paper or later to pay an equal, if not greater, amount in taxes, with no promise of a tangible return. Choose! Recent requirements for properly housing the vast army of workers in war activities has focused the attention of some of the best professional talent in this country. Nationally prominent architects, builders, landscape engineers and housing experts have interested themselves in this problem. Their co¬ operation is not wholly a selfish desire to enlarge personal prestige and obtain substantial profits and commissions, but is the result of a willingness to render a patriotic service to the Government at a time when their abilities are urgently required. By a thorough co¬ ordination of the excellent ideas that are being presented through the efforts of these master minds, the labor forces of the United States are destined to be brought up to a higher plane of living than ever before. This result would surely justify the time and money that is being expended upon this problem. The Coal Situation. Revolutionary reforms in the handling of the coal supply of the'city are not likely to result from the conclusions reached by the Fuel Administration or the Tenement House Department as the result of the experiences during the recent cold weather. Reeve Schley, Fuel Administrator, finds that the method of transportation from the New' Jersey terminals to Manhattan by barges is probably more satisfactory than any of the suggestions so far offered for im¬ proving the service. There is a constant shrinkage in the number of barges of about seven per cent, annually, which has not been made good owing to the difficulties of getting new boats built. There has been a dearth of powerful tugs owing to their conscription by the Government. New Jersey terminals are not all adequately fitted out with steam thawing plants and other contrivances for handling coal expeditiously in severe weather. But if these ordinary facilities were in proper condition Mr. Schley believes the daily supply of coal for Manhattan would be assured, except for mine or railroad troubles back of the terminals; also ice jams in the river, for which there should be provided a powerful ice¬ breaker. Even the distribution of coal to the poor through the coal cellars does not meet with condemnation, and no pro¬ posal of a reform in this direction is suggested. These small dealers, of which there are several thousand in the city, were found to be making only from one to two dollars a ton. During the extreme weather they handled only a ton or two a day. Naturally there were exceptional cases of extortion. But charity organi¬ zation people and philanthropists in former years, who have studied the problem of eliminating the cellar deal¬ ers, and who had ample funds to finance any equitable plan, have been obliged to drop the matter, owing to the impossi¬ bility of finding any adequate method of distribution that did not involve ex¬ pense that was prohibitive, unless put upon a distinctly charitable basis, which w^ould have been resented by the con¬ sumers and unwise for many economical reasons. The only suggestion for improvement in the service of coal, outside of building a bridge or tunnel, which meets with any favor, is the one of authorizing large private coal dealers to rent vacant land on which to store coal and allowing them to charge consumers a sum addi¬ tional to the price fixed by the Fuel Administration, estimated at one dollar a ton, with which to cover the carrying cost. As a corollary of this plan, which has been put up to Mr. Garfield for de¬ cision, the local administrator favors the accumulation of a reserve supply by the city for its own use, following the sug¬ gestion recently made in the Record and Guide. Nearly 6,000 complaints, due to the severity of the weather, were received by the Tenement Department during January, and Tenement House Commis¬ sioner Mann expects that the February record will be as great. He estimates that the damage to buildings for the two months will run into millions of dollars. As one result of the extraor¬ dinary number of complaints, there has been a thorough overhauling and clean¬ ing up of the tenements. From the experiences of this winter the Tenement House Department will push the matter of bringing water, gas, sewer and other service pipes up through the house in all new construc¬ tion, instead of on the outside walls, as is the general practice at the present time. This projected improvement the master plumbers and architects are interested in forwarding. One of the interesting developments of the season has been that the com¬ plaints about lack of heat came almost wholly from the tenants of the better class of steam-heated buildings. There were only three or four demands for assistance made upon the department by tenants of the "walk-ups." They car¬ ried their troubles to the Fuel Adminis¬ trator or tucked them away in their own kit bags. Owners and agents report that they had comparatively little trouble with tenants over the heat question. The law makes it incumbent on the tenant to pay his rent. If he refuses to pay, be¬ cause he feels that the contract amount of heat has not been furnished, then the landlord can dispossess or sue. If he takes the first course the tenant has no recourse; he must get out. But the landlord is out of pocket while his house stands vacant. If the landlord sues for the rent and the tenant can prove dam¬ age occasioned by low temperature, then he can, and usually does, recover a part of the rent. Both of these methods have been adopted during the trying cold days, with varying degrees of unpleasantness. Many landlords adjudicated the matter themselves by making voluntary reduc¬ tions in rent. It is interesting and gratifying to have the Fuel Administrator, the Tenement Department and landlords and agents generally testify to the almost universal acceptance on the part of the tenants of the fact that the circumstances were extraordinary, to acknowledge the will¬ ingness of everybody concerned to do everything possible to alleviate the dis¬ tress and to make the best of a very bad business in the stoical and good- natured American way. Recruits for Shipbuilding. During the past week the Federal Shipping Board has conducted a nation¬ wide campaign for the enrollment of an immense force of workmen in order that the shipbuilding program may be promptly and effectually carried out. An estimate of the requirements for this purpose calls for a minimum of 250,000 workmen, both skilled and unskilled, and undoubtedly a large number in addition will be needed as the construction of ships proceeds. The major portion of these workmen will of necessity have to be recruited from the ranks of those at present in the employ of private interests. The building trades of the country are being called upon to furnish a large quota of the total. This is altogether natural, as the construction of vessels is in many points closely allied to the construction of buildings and for many phases of shipbuilding practically the same class of labor can be utilized to advantage. The present recruiting drive calls for workmen from a large number of skilled trades. Those lines allied to the con¬ struction of buildings are especially prominent. The list includes asbestos workers, carpenters, boiler makers, plumbers and steam fitters, painters, structural iron workers, riveters, sheet metal workers, coppersmiths and other trades that are essentially a part of the structural life of the nation. In addition to the skilled trades a large force of unskilled laborers will be required for the handling of materials and supplies. Thus, it is readily seen that a large percentage of both the skilled and unskilled labor required by the Shipping Board will have to come to the shipyards direct from the building field. Fortunately at the present time there is but a slight amount of activity in build¬ ing construction work, otherwise con¬ siderable hardship to the structural in¬ terests might have resulted from taking thousands of trained men out of this field of endeavor. However, as the build¬ ing trades have not been especially busy for some months, and the immediate future is in many respects clouded with doubt and uncertainty, the shipbuilding requirements will provide lucrative em¬ ployment for a large number of men that might have remained in idleness for a long time or have been forced to take work outside of their regular trades. Every possible facility should be placed at the disposal of the Shipping Board for assistance in its effort to man the shipyards with workmen of high calibre. The assembly of this large body of workmen will entail distinct hardships in certain instances; some industrial staffs will be depleted, if not RCCORD AND GUIDB IS IN ITS FIFTIETH YEAR OF CQNTINUaUS PUBLICATIOX.