The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-19
HAAS TO OFFER ORDINANCES.
CONCERNING PERMITS AND THE IN
SPECTION OF WIRES.


Adopted for the Consideration of
Applications for Building Permits.
Fire Chief Should Pass Upon
Them-Wants the Fine Made 800
for ViOIations-He viii Introduce
His Ordinance Tomorrow Night
and Also One to Provide for the
Inspection of Electrical Wiring by
the Electrical Force of the Fire De-
pnrtment-Fees Will BE Charged.
When Council meets tomorrow night
Alderman I. @. Haas will have two ordi-
nances to bring before it. One will relate
to the course to be followed in securing
building permits and the other will pro-
vide for the inspection of electrical wir-
ing. Both are regarded as measures of
importance
Alderman Haas believes there should be
an ordinance requiring the chief of the
fire department to pass upon every appli-
cation for permit to erect a building
within the city limits His effort win be
to have an examination by the chief made
one of the requisites for the granting
of applications.
Alderman Haas said that he had decid-
ed to introduce the two ordinances. He
does not know how the other members
Of the board regard the measures he pur-
poses introducing. though opposition to re-
form and innovation is so common, he
said, that it would not surprise him if 1t
should develop in this instance.
For some time Alderman Haas has been
impressed with the necessity for some
change in the method that has been fol-
lowed for the consideration of the applica-
tions for permits. The news in the Morn
ing News OF yesterday that two citizens. ut
least, have been the gamers through fail
ure to make application before erecting
their buildings determined him to offer his
ordinance forthwith. The alderman does
not approve plan under which a property
owner may ignore the ordinance requiring
him to secure permit before building. and
thereby get out of paying taxes on his
house for four years. with the penalty,
when arraigned in the Police Court, of
paying a paltry fine of SIS. He will pro-
vide a penalty of 800.
It is Alderman Haas opinion that
more careful record may be kept OF the
permits granted that will be open for the
inspection of the tax assessors. He favors
the method, in part, as 1t has been follow
ed though after the applications have
passed through the hands of the clerk of
Council and the city engineer, it is his opin-
ion that they should go to the chief of the
fire department for an investigation and
report. Such report should be made to the
clerk of Council, and, If favorable, the per-
nits should be granted.
The alderman sees no reason why the
applications should come before Council,
n that OpirfOD differing he MaV0r
who has ordered that they be brought be-
fore that body before being submitted to
the city engineer. At the meeting to-mor-
row night it is expected there will be
two or three such applications read, be-
ing the first in a long while that have
appeared before the board.
The fire chief, Alderman Haas holds,
should be familiar with the interior OF all
the buildings in the city. He should know
the peculiarites of their construction. and
IL there is to be anything about a new
house that would serve to make il dan
gerous, in the event of fire, for the others
in the nelghborhood he should be able to
pass upon ii before construction is COM
menced.
The other ordinance is one about which
there has been even more talk than that
governing applications for permits. Chief
Mcguire mas long advocated an inspection
of the wires in the city, though his idea
has been the maintenance of a special Of
ficer for that purpose. Alderman Haas
has no such intention. 1t is his purpose
to provide in his ordinance for the in
spection by the present electrical force of
the fire department.
Alderman Haas believes the electrician
has plenty of time to look after The in
spection of wiring that is put in buildings
in the city. He admits that the whole
sale inspection that should be made at the
start of all the connections already es-
tablshed viii take n great deal of time
but, that being over, the demand upon
the electrician would be inconsiderable.
1t is not the aldermans intention TO put
any extra burden on the city in the way
of increased salaries for those who may
have to make the inspections. He will
introduce a scale of charges for the work.
the property owners or tenants of the
house wired having TO pay them. The
money will go TO the city and not to any
body connected with the work
For some time Alderman Haas has been
considering this measure The frequent
recurrence of fires that are attributable
to defective wiring. accounts of which
have appeared in The Morning News, has
induced him to delay no longer in intro.
ducng his ordinance. In this ordinance
the alderman viii have the support of
the Mayor. who believes the electricians
should inspect the wires.
The electrical firms in the city have man
Tested objections to the inspection of the
wiring in the buildings of the city, but
the fire chief has been so strongly in favor
of II and is so powerfully backed by AL
derman Haas, who is chairman of the
fire committee of Council. that IL looks
as though the ordinance may pass and
what seems TO have been fruitful source
of fires IN the past may be removed in so
far as an inspection could accomplish.
49,