Evening star., 1902-04-29
|NSAN|TAR,y BUILDINGS
Draft Of Bill Creating a Dis
trict Board
SENT TO CONGRESS-
DUTIES OF THE MEMBERS OUT
LINED BY COMMISSIONERS.
Consists Of Assistant Engineer Com
missioner, Health Officer and In
spector Of Buildings.

The District Commissioners have COM
pleted the draft of the bill proposing to
create a board for the condemnation Of in
sanitary buildings in the District Of CO.
lumbia, and have forwarded it to Congress.
It was originally drawn up by the health
officer DR.. w. c. Woodward, and has since
been changed in number of particulars
after conferences with the city solicitor
and members of the recently organized
committee of citizens on improving the
housing conditions Of the poor. In its first
section the bill provides for the creation in
and for the District Of Columbia Of board
to be known as the board for the conden-
nation Of insanitary buildings in the Dis
trict of Columbia, to consist Of the assist
ant to the Engineer Commissioner in charge
Of buildings, the health officer and the in
spector Of buildings, and to have jurisdic-
tfon and authority to examine into the san
itary condition of all buildings in the Dis
trict, to condemn these buildings which are
in such insanitary condition as to endan-
ger the health or lives Of the occupants or
Of persons living in the vicinity, and to
cause all buildings to be put into sanitary
condition or to be vacated, demolished and
removed. as may be required.
The board Is authorized to enter any
premises between a. m. and p. M, for
the purposes Of inspection, etc, and is re-
quired to report its operations to the Com
missioners. A majority of the board for
the condemnation of insanitary buildings
snail constitute quorum, and majority
vote of the members present shall be neces-
sary to condemn any building.
Duties Of the Board.
The operation Of the board is described in
the bill as follows:
IF any building or part of building be
found. as the result Of investigation, to be
In such insanitary condition as to endanger
the health or the lives Of the occupants
thereof or Of persons living in the vicinity,
said board shall cause q notice to be served
on each owner and part owner of such
building requiring him to show cause with
in not less than twenty days, exclusive of
sundays and legal holidays, from the date
OF the service of said notice why such
building or part of building should not be
condemned. And If within the time speci-
fled in said notice no cause be shown suf-
hclent' IN the opinion Of a majority Of said
board, to prevent the condemnation of such
building or part Of building said board
shall issue an order condemning such build
ing or part Of building and shall cause a
copy OF such order to be served on each
owner or part owner thereof. and a copy or
copies to be affixed to the building or mart
of building condemned.
mat from and alter thirty days exclu-
sive OF Sundays and legal holidays. after a
copy or copies of any order Of condemna-
ton nave been affixed to any condemned
building or part of building no person shall
occupy such building part of building"
Provision Regarding Repairs.
The bill further provides that If the owner
or owners of any building or part of build
Ing condemned under the provisions of this
act snail make such changes or repairs as
Will remedy In a manner satisfactory to
SAID board the conditions which led to the
condemnation of such building or part Of
building, said board shall cancel it's order
OF condemnation and the building NAV he
again occupied
The demolition of buildings is provided
for in section of the bill which saws. s"The
owner or owners Of any building or build
lngs, condemned under the provisions of
this act, which cannot be so changed or re-
paired as to remedy the condition which led
10 the condemnation thereof shall demolish
and remove such building or part of build
ing within time to be specified by said
board in the order Of condemnation And If
any owner or part o -'ner shall fail or refuse
to demoltsh and remove said building or
part OF building within the time specified
he shall be liable to penalties provided by
section 13 of this act and such building or
part of building shall be demolished and re-
moved under the direction Of the board for
the condemnation Of insanitary buildings in
such demolition and removal, less the
amount, If any received, from the sale of
the old material, but including the cost of
making good such damage to adjoining
premises as may have resulted from such
demolition. and the cost Of publication, II
any. herein provided for, shall be assessed
by the Commissioners Of the District of CO.
lumbia as tax against the premises
which such building or part Of building was
situated, such tax to be collected in the
same manner as general taxes are collected
and when collected shall be deposited in the
treasury to the credit of the United States
and the District of Columbia in equal
parts.
Other Duties Defined.
Other sections provide for various duties
by the board in the case of minors, insane
persons, ETC.; for the protection of the
members of the board in the performance
of their duties, and other contingencies.
The penalty clause is as follows:
''That any person violating, or aiding or
abetting in violating, any Of the provisions
of this act shall upon conviction thereof in
the Police Court of the District Of Column
bia, upon Information filed in the name of
said District, be punished by fine Of not
more than 500 or by Imprisonment for not
more than ninety days; and each day on
which such unlawful act Is done or during
which such unlawful negligence continues
shall constitute separate and distinct Of
fenSe.''