Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 94, no. 2420: Articles]: August 1, 1914

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REAL. ESTATE AND NEW YORK, AUGUST 1, 1914 liiiiliilliiiilliiiiiliiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiliiiiiiillil I CONSOLIDATION OF CITY DEPARTMENTS I It Is Believed To Be Impending—Intimated by Counselor Elkus of the State Factory Investigating Commission—The Revision of the Labor Law Not To Be Extensive. DISAPPOINTMENT is being ex¬ pressed in business circles where reports have been heard that the revi¬ sion of the Labor Law, and especially the factory regulations contained there¬ in, may not be as radical as the public has hoped for and expected. During the week intimations have come from semi-official sources that as a result of hearings held here and else¬ where the committee is of the opin¬ ion that only a few changes of impor¬ tance are needed in the law. It is un¬ derstood that Counselor Elkus contends that the only principal chans'es should be. first, an enlargement of the powers of the Industrial Board, and second, a better definition for the term "factory" as used in the law. It is presumed that a statement as to the nature of the amendments to be in¬ troduced at the next session of the Leg¬ islature will be made in time for am¬ ple consideration by the interests af¬ fected. Regarding a related subject, the over-inspection of buildings, Mr. Elkus made the following statement to a rep¬ resentative of the Merchants' Associa¬ tion: "We have found that one of the chief causes of complaint is the multiplicity of inspections. There are now five separate building departments in New York City, one for each Borough. Each has a dififerent Superintendent at the head and a dififerent set of employes, making possible five dififerent ways of interpreting the law. The Bureau of Fire Prevention has to do with matters relating to the fire hazard in both old and new buildings. The Health De¬ partment has jurisdiction over build¬ ings for the most part in so far as they are used as bakeries or food product manufactories. The Tenement House Department has jurisdiction over tene¬ ments. The Department of Electricity. Gas and Water Supply has jurisdiction over the installation of electrical ap¬ paratus and equipment, and the Police Department issues licenses after boiler inspection. Finally, the License Bureau must insoect and license theatres, moving picture establishments and so forth.' A New Building Department Proposed. "The Police Department, the Fire Department, the Law Department, and the Tenement House Department have jurisdiction over the entire city. The Commission is considering whether it would not be advisable to consolidate practically all the various jurisdictions over buildings, so far as they relate to construction and alterations, in a Build¬ ing Department for the entire city. The powers of the State Labor Depart¬ ment with relation to buildings would be' transferred to the new department, together with those of the Fire Preven¬ tion Bureau. It is a question how far the jurisdiction of the Health. Depart¬ ment and the Tenement Department should be merged in the new depart¬ ment. "The advantage of this plan is that it would bring about liniform interpre¬ tation and enforcement of the law, COMMISSIONER ADAMSON. reduce the number of inspections, and undoubtedly save a large sum or money for the cit}^ Advantages of Consolidation. "The commission is now working on several alternative plans along tne same lines. These will be submitted for criticism and suggestion to all persons interested at an early date. "The commission failed to find sub¬ stantiation of the complaint that the various departments are issuing con¬ flicting orders, and it also failed "to dis¬ cover any case in which a manufacturer intends to leave the State because of the enforcement of the factory laws.*" From the foregoing it is inferred that the committee still holds to the opinion that public dissatisfaction is not so much directed against the Labor Law Itself as against the methods pursued in administering it, and that irrespective of what the city authorities are doing to co-ordinate inspection work, the State Factory Investigating Commission is planning radical changes in local organ¬ izations in expectation, doubtless, of as¬ sent and cooperation from the city au¬ thorities. Statement From the Fire Commissioner. Commissioner Adamson of the Fire Department when asked as to the prog¬ ress being made by the Mavor's com¬ mittee in reducing the multiplicity of in¬ spections, said to a representative of the Record and Guide: "I am sure that a way will be found to prevent the constant annoyance of prop¬ erty owners by repetition of inspections and possibly by the conflict of orders or the issuance of new orders due to a change of mind on the part of officials. Many conferences have been held in the last few months to consider this subject, and T consider that great progress has been made. I think the Fire" Depart¬ ment was the first department to take up this matter, though not the first to say .anything about it publicly. We happen to be in a position where the complaints of property owners first make themselves heard, and I think the Fire Department was the first to make a practical move to reduce the cause for complaint. "The first step that was taken was the formation of a committee of technical experts, due to the efiforts of Mr. F. J. T. Stewart, of the Board of Fire Under¬ writers, and President Robert D. Kohn of the New York Chapter of Architects. This committee was made up of repre¬ sentatives of a number of outside organ¬ izations and representatives of the City Departments, and its object was to for¬ mulate and adopt standards which might be used by all of the city departments. The Mayor's Committee. "The next step, I believe, was the appointment by the Mayor of a commit¬ tee of city department heads, of which I was chairman, to consider the general subject of co-operation between depart¬ ments with a view to reducing duplication of inspections and any conflict of orders, if such existed. This committee found that the first logical step was to adopt harmonious standards which would be used by every department, and thus avoid the possibility of a department changing its mind and ordering one thing today and another thing tomorrow, and also avoid the possibility of one department ordering something in conflict with the requirements of another department. It was therefore decided that we should first proceed to formulate a set of stan¬ dards which would cover every condi¬ tion in the building. "As the work of the outside com¬ mittee, to which I have referred, was already well advanced in doing this work, it was decided that the Mayor's committee co-operate with it, as this de¬ partment and several others had been do¬ ing since last January, and endeavor to push its work to a conclusion as rapidly as possible. This is now being done, and I feel sure that the work of this com¬ mittee, after it has been considered and adopted by the various departments, will go a long ways in reducing cause for complaint. Every department afifected is represented on this committee—in most cases by technical men. "There have also been a number of conferences called by Mr. Abram I. El¬ kus, of the State Factory Commission, and these have been extremely helpful. All of the departments interested were represented at Mr. Elkus' conferences, there was a full discussion of every phase of the matter, and an efifort was made to arrive at a plan of co-opera¬ tion whereby any duplication or conflict of departments would be prevented. "I think that these discussions and in¬ terchanges of views did a great deal to clear the air and to impress upon all of the department heads the importance of exercising care not to harrass property owners. Practical Progress. "I think the Fire Department has made practical progress in this matter. For example, we have arranged with the Labor Department^ that when it sends us complaints of violations which come under the jurisdiction of this depart-