Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-10
The Smoke Law Amendments.

Inc smoke Law amendments
The argument in favor of the amendment
of the anti-smoke law seems unanswerable,
II there Is to be no unjust discrimination
between offenders to whom the statute Is
intended to apply and If a practical effort
is to be made to reduce the smoke nuisance
to a minimum. The law as it stands pro-
hibits any dense smoke emission whatever
from all but residences and locomotives. 1t
has been found also in practice inapplicable
TO government buildings 1t is not en-
forced, and may not be enforceable, against
those larger residences" called apartment
houses. By administrative interpretation
subject TO change any day, the law is con-
strued as permitting one-minute smoke
emissions, which experience has shown, af-
ter the most earnest efforts by those now
subject to the statute to comply with
these terms. to be inadequate for the needs
Of boiler owners at times of firing. But the
Police Court has decided that any dense
smoke emission. even for a few seconds,
violates the statute.
The law as it stands is defective in three
respects: 1t is not sufficiently inclusive as
to the offenders, it is not enforced In the
case of smoke emissions after 4 o'clock In
the afternoon, when the smoke inspector
ceases to inspect and it is not sufficiently
specific in its definition of the offense to
be punished, since 1t leaves the question OF
whether a smoke emitter is a criminal or
not to the whim of the health officer, as
the official proclaimer of the period of I'M
punished smoke emission.
In the first place the law should reach all
real offenders, those whose smoke emissions
most seriously becloud the atmosphere and
FOUL the surfaces of white buildings. the
preservation of which should be the govern
ments particular care In these days of
electric locomotives, and in view of the
abundance of hard coal, it is by no means
impossible to apply the law to and enforce
1t against the railroad equipment without
crippling the lines An Applicant to loco
motives should apply as We'll to those semi
stationary engines which are occasionally
used in the streets, at present without re-
striction as to smoke emission.
There is no reason whatever why the law
should not be enforced against the apart-
ment houses, which are In effect business
establishments. and residential only because
of the character of their use Their smoke
Is as offensive and as disfiguring as that
from other chimneys. The same is true,
without modification, in the case of the gov
eminent buildings.
1t Is absurd that through its method of
administration the law should not apply
10 smoke emissions after office hours The
smoke of big chimney is as disfguring
to a white wall and as injurious to hui
man lungs at night as in the day There
may be difficulty in insuring a perfect APP
plication of an amended statute after
dark but there should at least be pro-
vision. in the form of sufficient force of
inspectors, to keep the nuisance at a mini
mum between 4 pm. and am.
Especially in the matter Of its specific
terms is the law defective today. There
is no justice in establishing a criminal Of
Tense in terms so loose that they may be
altered at the within of an executive Of
ficer. Commissioner West recommends
that the total period of smoke emissions
during the twenty-four hours shall be not
more than sixty minutes, such emissions
not to exceed three minutes continuously
at any one time. This movement is in
general accordance with the principle of
experiments in Boston and Chicago. If
the figures are not precisely the best to
meet equitably the conditions they should
be altered. But the amendment substi
tutes certainty for uncertainty and seems
TO put the law upon fair working basis.
OF course any serious. practical and equi-
table effort to enforce the law, requires
larger force of inspectors and provision for
a more thorough observation of the skies
than is now possible. The absurdity of the
administration of the law today is well in
dicated by Mr.. Vests analysis of the re-
ports OF the inspectors and the court rec
ords
The amendments proposed deserve the
support of every real friend of the effort
to lessen the smoke nuisance. Insistence
upon the present statute works for uncer
tain and inequitable conditions, for dis
ordinations and exemptions which lead to
a great and unrestrained smoke emission
at all hours and for the excessive punish
whom have been in good faith trying to OBJ
serve the law in its spirit, if not in its i'm
possible letter
The Star was interested in and helped to
secure the anti-smoke legislation; and it's
white marble building is perhaps more liza
bic to Disagreement and injury from dense
smoke emissions than any other structure
I'm the city. Its views concerning the pub
lie welfare. well as it's private interest
make it deeply -cerned in securing a just
and effective anti-smoke law. The intima-
ton occasionally made by those who wish
to preserve sacredly intact the existing
abominable statute that efforts to amend
II are in the interest of unrestrained smoke
Tor Washington is preposterous on its face
Before jumping q any rash