The Washington times., 1905-01-14
PRACTICAL. VIEWS ON
THE BUILDERS BILL

sion. and preclude against the poss1-
bility of competitors entering the field
who were incompetent. Other trades
are compelled to undergo certain test
before becoming eligible to practice in
Washington, and there certainly IS no
sound reason why the same rule should
not apply to builders
Practice at Present.
Under the present regulation it is pos
sible for anybody TO erect a building
here just so long as he obtains IL
cense This is easily accomplished as
there is nothing to stand In the way OF
licenses being granted to whomsoeyer
may ask for them Surely. this cannot
be fair to men who have spent the best
portion of their lives in making study
of building, and who have reached
degree of perfection that should place
them above a person who has never had
any experience in building.
Another source of complaint seems
to be the real estate men, They believe
that If the proposed law goes into ef-
feet it Will be necessary for them to en-
gage a master builder whenever it is
desired to make minor repairs in some
building. Such would not be the case.
The bill doesn't provide carpenters must
have licenses as master builders in order
to make alterations to a building. 1t is
work falling into incompetent hands.
Indeed, have been doing Jobbing
work myself for real estate men. and I
have no fear that l would be cut off
by the enactment OF the measure The
fear Is groundless. as are all others that
the bill will work a hardship on any
body
Mr.. Edwards Opinion.
James Edward. of 1902 Fourteenth
Street, is another advocate of the bill
In communication to The Times, he
expresses the following views as to the
advantage to be derived from the pass
age of the bill:
nave been reading the letters for
ana against the examination of build
ers and carpenters that have been pub
llshed by you. l notice that ]. A. Wyn-
Eoop states that he is going to call a
mass meeting, and that out of fifty real
estate men that he spoke to, there was
only one that knew that there was a
9lil 10 examine carpenters. The matter
mas been discussed in the papers for
some time, and did not think that our
real estate men were lacking in inter-
est.
believe the proposed legislation
would be a good thing for all builders,
large and small, the real estate men.
ana the business men, providing the ex-
animation Is such as pertains to his
business A builder should know the
breaking strength of joist. iron beams.
etc, as he may be called in to tear out
a brick wal OF. partition TO enlarge a
store, and he has to carry the wall
above, but he would not have to pass a
civil engineers examination.
Lines of Examination.
THE examination should be on a line
of the building regulation, and not on
something they would never encounter
IN their business Questions of that
kind they ought to know Let them
try TO pass the examination, and if they
fail, let them try again after two or
three months. If they fail after the
second or third trial then it would be
ness
What wants to be tackled on the bill
and the bill should not go through
without it's that the architect should
be made to pass a civil engineers ex-
animation before they could practice
for they are the ones that lay OF the
work that the carpenter has TO carry
through. and if builder says this
should be SO and so, he has a fight. That
IS the first bill that should be passed