Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

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altogether disrupted. However, the times are critical and the necessity urgent, so sacrifices on the part of present employ¬ ers of the type of men required for the building of ships must be made cheer¬ fully and without hesitancy. The man¬ ner in which the men are released for this important work will be the measure of individual or corporate patriotism. The Federal Shipping Board is accom¬ plishing a work of vast importance to the defense of the United States, and the men who have or will enroll for labor in the shipyards are undertaking la patriotic service that will be the equal of that performed in the trenches in France. The number of men that we, as a nation, will be in a position to send and maintain in Europe will depend almost wholly upon the volume of ton¬ nage that we are able to produce within the next few months. This is required for the transportation of men and supplies. —■ Sprinklered Buildings. Kdiior of thr Record and Guide: The coal shortage has revealed the reliance on automatic water sprinkler systems for fire control. The effective maintenance of these systems has been impaired by freezing in hundreds of buildings in New York lacking fuel. Because of the temporary loss of this protection a conflagration becomes an imminent possibility; the peril appalls the fire underwriters, and because of it the fuel administrator allows use of coal to prevent freezing of sprinkler systems. All of these facts have been reported by the news press. And from these reports the idea has gained currency that the impairment of sprinkler protection by freezing has been due to inherent defects in sprinkler systems. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The impairment has been because the water in the "wet pipe" sprinkler systems, required by the fire underwriters in heated buildings, has been allowed to freeze and more or less cripple the svstems. or else the water has been shut off and the pipes drained to prevent freezing where heat could not be maintained because of lack of coal. In unheated buildings where water is liable to freeze sprinkler systems are installed "dry pipe," i. e., instead of water the piping contains air under pressure, which holds shut an auto¬ matic water control valve. This valve opens and admits water into the pipes when the pressure is weakened by the escape of air through sprinklers opened by fire. . Scores of sprinkler systems are being restored in New York by making them over temporarily into "dry pipe systems. And an interesting fact to con¬ template is that in Canada sprinkler systems have been much better main¬ tained than down here. Up there they are much better acquainted with Jack Frost, and the sprinkler system farthest north has been on the job, while the one farthest south has been allowed to eet cold feet. IRA G. HOAGLAND. -----------«------------ Coal Situation. Editor of the Record and Guide: The coal situation could, in my opin¬ ion, be summed up as follows: (1) that not enough is being done to make good tlie loss of labor at the mines, drafted for war or won away by higher wages offered for other work, (2) that coal movement is still being interfered with by the irresponsible use of priority or¬ ders by Government employees who too often mistake the petty part they were meant to perform for the main machine, and (3) that there is a lame lack of co¬ ordination between the gentlemen in charge of the several steps which must be taken to get coal from the mines into our coal bins. Much could be accomplished by the appointment of coordinators who should be men mustered from and accustomed to getting teamwork in large organiza¬ tions, to get the men charged with the various parts of the work, to bend their RECORD AND GUIDE excellent efforts together, instead of each for himself, as at present. Dr. Garfield's order of January 16 is not surefooted as a mounting correc¬ tive measure. It leans towards letting nonessential industries eliminate them¬ selves by the painful process of lower¬ ing the effort and product of every plant and person engaged in industry, and then proceeds to make priorities, ex¬ ceptions or exemptions for a selec,ted few, leaving the others, essential and non-essential alike, to fight for the coal that is left. If the supply of fuel and labor cannot be increased, the way to get them for essential industries is to shut down the clearly nonessential in¬ dustries and go as much further as is necessary to release the labor, fuel and other materials needed to build efficient armies and to push the essential indus¬ tries and farming full tilt. plus, until the war is won. A. W. WARNER. Hell Gate Development. j-.ditur of the Record and Guide: It seems too bad that there should be any difference of opinion relative to the necessity of deepening Hell Gate and the East River to forty feet. Congress passed a law last year which permitted the deepening of this waterway to forty feet so that warships might pass from the navy yard to the ocean without hav¬ ing to go through New York Harbor. This is the time to do things thor¬ oughly and completely. The difference between forty and thirty-five feet is material. In one case the large naval vessels can use the East River, while, were the latter pursued, only one means of egress and ingress would be afforded the vessels. The Record and Guide took the stand when the matter first came up that no half-way measures should be adopted. The Merchants' Association has been active in the movement; so have the Bronx Board of Trade and other organi¬ zations. Dock Commissioner Murray Hulbert was instrumental in having the forty-foot law passed, and he made a strong protest against the thirty-five foot amendment. It is to be hoped that common sense will prevail and that the extra five feet will be excavated so that the navy may have the full benefit of an improvement which has been many years coming, but. when completed, should add millions of dollars to the commerce of the Port of New York. A. L. K. This department is intended to be of serv¬ ice to all interested in the real estate market, whether as broker, agent or property owner. The readers of the Record and Guide are in¬ vited to send in questions on matters per¬ taining to real estate, building and building management, though legal questions will not be answered in this column. Questions snould be stated as fully but as briefly as possible so as to allow intelligent answers. Arrange¬ ments have been made through which the questions will be answered by a Committee of the Real Estate Board, including 1 le following E. A. Tredwell, real estate broker. Frederick D. Kalley. real estate broker. Robert R. Rainey, real estate broker. B. E. Martin. . , , .,, William Douglas Kilpatrick, builder. H. H. Murdock, architect. Question No. .^a"?.—Can you possibly en- lUfhtPn me what was the eventual outcome Of lhe bill introduced, by Senator Gilchrist and .-i-ioned some time ago by Governor Charles S. Whitma/n>, authoriziiw the Sinking Fund Com- ■m.i.ssionei-s of New York City to adjust and set¬ tle all disputes between the City and, indi/viduaJs or corporations as to qucsticms of Title, Taxes and Asscssm/i^nts affecting the land at Cone-y Island, between West Twenty-third and West Twenty-seventh streets, north of Mermaid ave¬ nue f J fw'^ " subscriber to your valuable papci' and realize the lyaluc of the atiswers gvven through the medium of your Query Department. Answer No. 303.—Senator Gilchrist's Bill, Int. 1352, became chapter 500 of the laws of 1916. A number of settlements have been made under the act; for ex¬ ample, the minutes of the meeting of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, held November 8. 1917, showed author¬ ization for settlement with the Lafayette Trust Company. Hearing on Torrens Bill. The registers of New York, Kings and Bronx Counties, and the county clerks of Queens and Richmond Counties act¬ ing as registers, have completed the bill amending the Torrens Land Title Registration Law, and will introduce'it in the Legislature this week. They will ask for a joint hearing of the Cominittee on General Laws in the Assembly and the Judiciary Committee in the Senate, and "will invite the bar association, tax¬ payers' associations and the real estate organizations of the Greater City of New York to participate in the hearing. In speaking of the bill Register Edward Polak of Bronx County said: "The amendments have been carefully considered, especially as regards their constitutionality, and if they are passed it will simplify the court procedure, lower the initial cost of an examination, expedite the time to examine a title, establish a permanent assurance fund, and make real estate a liquid asset so that owners of real estate can borrow or sell, and upon short notice have the title examined through the register's office; all titles to be examined by an official examiner of the register's office, and the fees therefor to be deposited to the credit of the county so as to reduce taxation. "The registers will take the matter up with the city administration, and will ask that the Board of Estiniate. representing the city of Nevv York, approve of this measure, as it will mean the lowering of the tax rate." IS IN ITS FIFTIETH YEAR OF CONTINUOUS 1918 Tax Rate to Be Higher. A statement of the financial condition of the city was sent to the Board of Aldermen this week by Mayor Hylan. The statement was made in conformity with the Charter. The city's gross funded debt as of December 31, 1917, was $1,469,448,477.26, exclusive of liabilities for land acquired and contracts entered into, amounting to $61,514,872.06. The net funded debt is $1,020,671,102.25. There are self-extinguishing bonds which, when deducted from the city debt, bring the indebtedness of the city "within the debt limit" to $775,184,744.04. The city can incur indebtedness to ten per cent, of the citv's assessed valuation, or $825,454,900. The debt-incurring power on January 1 was $50,270,155.96. "The Mitchel administration," said Mayor Hylan. "made many comrnit- ments and obligations, and during 1918 there will be an estimated remain¬ der of $10,861,338.59. It is certain that the 1918 tax rate will be much higher, because of the gross extravagances of the past." Income Tax. Daniel C. Roper has published the following statement, extending the time for filing income tax returns to April 1. Secretary McAdoo has approved the ruling. The statement follows: "Because of unavoidable delay in the preparation of forms and regulations for the war excess-profits tax, and hence in the preparation of the related fornis and regulations for returns forthe in¬ come and war-income taxes, and in order to afford taxpayers a necessary period for the preparation of returns after re¬ ceiving tlie forms and regulations, the time for filing returns due after October 16, 1917, and on or before March 1, 1918, pursuant to the act of September 8, 1910, and the act of October 3, 1917, for income, war-income and war excess- profits taxes, whether they are to be made on the basis of the calendar year or of a fiscal year ended during the year 1917, is hereby extended to April 1. 1918. So far as this extension applies to the returns of corporations to be made on the basis of a fiscal year other than the calendar year it amends the provisions of T. D. 2561, as amended by T. D. 2615 and 2633." PUBLICATION,