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AND
BUILDERS
NEW YORK, JULY 4, 1914
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THE GOVERNOR PROMISES RELIEF FOR OWNERS |
The Next Legislature Will Amend the State Fire Prevention and Factory Laws—
Kings County Grand Jury Brings in Presentment Against Inspection Evils.
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IT has just developed that Governor
Glynn has for some time been
quietly weighing the whole situation as
regards the labor laws in their relation
to expensive structural changes to build¬
ings throughout this State, and has come
to the conclusion that in many particu¬
lars these laws are unnecessarily severe.
The Governor's attention was turned to
this matter by complaints which for
some months have been pouring into his
office.
These complaints have come from
manufacturers and real estate owners all
over New York State, but especially
from New York City, where most of the
orders for structural changes have been
issued and where the laws have pressed
most heavily.
In the position which he tnkes on this
tnatter. in a statement given out at Al¬
bany, the Governor vindicates the atti¬
tude taken by the Real Estate Board of
New York in its efforts for reasonable
amendments to the labor law. He sav'-:
"We have already placed New York
far in advance of many other States of
the Union in the line of progressive leg¬
islation to meet the justified demands of
the toilers of our State. The State Fac¬
tory Investigating Commission heard the
cry of the mass of men and women toil¬
er's and was responsible for the enact-
ment of remedial measures that guaran^
tee to the factory employees the right to
live as well as the license to work. As a
result of the new laws secured by the
Factory Commission, many factory
buildings were practically remodelled so
that now their occupants are given
healthful surroundings. The result has
been the manufacturers get better work
out of their employees, because they are
healthv and cheerful, and the cemeteries
and tuberculosis sanitariums are the only
losers.'*
Has Gone Too Far.
The Governor makes it plain that
there should be no laxity in the care of
the factory employees throughout the
State. On the other hand, he thinks ^he
pendulum has swung too far in the other
direction. He says:
"I do not believe in legislation so rad¬
ical that it means an attack on the valua¬
tion of real estate or driving out of our
State manufacturing concerns or other
large business enterprises. Real estate
owners tell me that strict compliance
with some of our laws would mean re¬
construction of their buildings; while
others insist there is such a general mix-
up of orders from State and local ait-
thorities in New York City, that it is
often a question as to whether an order
given by a local authority today will not
be rescHided bv State authority tomor¬
row. It has also been stated that in¬
spectors from the Department of Labor
in New York, and attaches of the Fire
Prevention Bureau and the Industrial
Board, are seemingly pulling against one
another in their work of building super¬
vision and inspection, to the end that the
real estate owners and the manufactur¬
ers are often in serious doubt as to just
where they are at."
The Governor commends the work of
Governor Glynn, seeing the
injury that is being done to
the majority of the people of
the State, directly or indirectly,
through ill-advised fire-prevention
and factory laws, frankly avows it
and virtually promises to have
amendments made by the next
Legislature. The Kings County
Grand Jury has set the courts in
motion against those responsible
for continuing the public annoy¬
ance and official extravagance re¬
sulting from the over-inspection of
buildings.
the State Factory Investigating Com-
niission and especially its energy in ar¬
ranging hearings in New York and in
other large cities of the State in order
to bring out, as it is doing, facts and
suggestions on the workings of the law.
The Governor adds:
"That these hearings will be fruitful
of excellent results is beyond question,
and I feel that enough information will
be gathered to make certain a solution
of this great industrial problem, which
will be as fair to the real estate owner
and manufacturer as we are so zealously
insisting it should be for the men and
women workers of the State."
Comment by President McGuire.
Commenting on this statement by
Governor Glynn, Laurence M. D. Mc¬
Guire, President of the Real Estate
Board of New York said:
"The conclusion reached by the Gov¬
ernor is the inevitable conclusion bound
to be reached by everyone who gives
serious consideration to the way the
drastic features of the law have been
working in New York and throughout
the State.
"The purpose of the Labor Law was
to make life safe and work more pleas¬
ant for factory operatives. This was a
laudable purpose and every humane per¬
son will uphold it. But zeal has carried
some of us too far. This whole thing
must be brought down to a practical
plane. We must have safety without
confiscation; fithout conflict of author¬
ity; without needless expense that in
many cases has reached practically the
point of confiscation.
"We must have, as I infer from the
Governor's language he wishes us to
have, a rational law rationally adminis¬
tered. Any other kind will ultimately be
as harmful to workers and operatives as
it will be to owners."
Hearings by the Industrial Board.
Real estate owners generally, and par¬
ticularly owners of factorv buildings,
will be interested in several public hear¬
ings to be held next week by the Indus¬
trial Board at its offices, 381 Fourth ave¬
nue.
The first subject to be taken up by the
Industrigil Bo4r4 will be the proposed
rules and regulations relating to the
construction, guarding, equipment, main¬
tenance and operation of elevators and
hoistways. Tliis hearing will begin at
10 a. m., Tuesday, July 7th.
The hearing on VVednesday will begin
at the same hour and will be on the pro¬
posed rules defining fireproof and fire-
resisting materials and describing cer¬
tain specifications relating to construc¬
tion. These matters are all to be taken
up in the report of the Industrial Board's
Committee on Fire Hazards. On this
committee the Real Estate Board of
New York was represented by Alfred R.
Kirkus and later by George W. Olvany.
On July 7 and 8 at 3 p. m. will be held
public hearings on three propositions of
the Industrial Board. The first is for
the amendment of what is known as
Regulation 2, which makes certain severe
requirements for the enclosure of stair¬
ways.
Proposition 2 is to amend the Board's
Regulation 3 so as to substitute the
words "fire resisting" for the word "in¬
combustible" applying to stairway en¬
closures in factory buildings in which
articles of a combustible nature are kept.
Proposition 3 is a proposed new rule
wiiich will correct a provision of the law
that has given a great deal of trouble to
owners of factory buildings. The pro¬
posed new rule reads as follows:
"When, in addition to the required ex¬
its of any factory or factory building,
there exist one or more outside fire-es¬
capes not constructed in accordance with
the provisions of the Labor Law relat¬
ing to fire escapes, such fire escapes
may be retained without being changed
to conform to such provisions, if steps
are taken, satisfactory to the Commis¬
sioner of Labor, to prevent their use as
a means of exit."
Grand Jury Presentment.
The courts are taking cognizance of
the unfair burdens that have been put
ui^on property owners. Among the in¬
dictments handed up this week by the
Grand Jury of Kings County was a
jjresentment to the court in which it
deplored the "foolish, ridiculous and
useless system" of building inspection
now in vogue in the Greater City and in
the Borough of Brooklyn in particular,
and urged the assembling of the au¬
thority of inspection in one or two de¬
partments instead of eight, as at pres¬
ent.
Judge Fawcett. in accepting the pre¬
sentment, congratulated the members
of the jury on its timeliness, as the mat¬
ter has been taken up by manv civic
bodies and is now receiving the atten-.
tion of the authorities at Albany.
The presentment reads:
"The Grand Jury of the County of
Kings for June. 1914, deems it its duty
to protest against the great burdens
that are put upon the real estate own-*
ers of the Countv of Kings by fhe muT-
tiplieity of inspections of the various
departments of the city, 'and of the
foolish, ridiculous, useless system that
goes with it, which menaces the progress
of the Greater City_ and the Borough
of Brooklyn in particular.
'There i? jiq question -^bout this fact-