Perth Amboy evening news., 1909-07-23
Only Those In Favor Heard.


The opponents of the code who
were heard on Wednesday were on
hand yesterday, but the mayor at the
outset said that only those who fav-
ored the code would be heard.
John D. Moore, a member of the
revision committee, after reading
from rather unimportant letter
written by Walter Cook, an architect
in the employ of the city, remarked
that building superintendents should
have wide discretionary powers, to
which the mayor replied:
Every human keing who holds
Office needs check. Though We al
ways assume that a. public official Is
honest, he may be inefficient"
G. H. Cullen, architect, another
member of the revision commission,
told of certain Incidents where con-
crete had been found lacking be-
cause of the deliberate "queering" Of
it by the workmen mixing 1t. He
said that the Eastman Building, in
Rochester, collapsed in part, and in
la concrete column which had started
the collapse 1t was found that work
men had mixed In with the concrete
some shavings and dirt.
John Gill and James Mccall, Jr.,
both representing bricklayers' un-
ions, said that their organizations
were In favor of all the sections linn
iting the use of concrete In construc-
! tion work, and were, in fact, in favor
of the entire code.
Does your organization, the
Bricklayers' Union, erect hollow
tile?" asked the mayor of one of
them.
"Yes, sir" was the reply.
do other trades lay hollow tile?"
pursued the mayor.
NO." replied Gill. But its's be-
cause we know how to handle it, and
we don't allow any other trades to
work on it."
There was a laugh when the may
or's. point struck Gill, and the union
man was considerably embarrassed.
w ID. Henry, president of the Ma
tional Fireproofing Company, the
hollow tile trust" to which, 1t is
said, the new code will give mo-
nopoly, arose when the hearing
reached Sections 116 and III, which
refer to the flreproofing of buildings
over one hundred feet in height.
| The charge, he said, that the Ma
tional would do $6,000.000 of the
s15,000,000 worth OF fire proofing
building annually done in New York,
IL the code went through, was false
II believe that we would probably
do $1,000,000 OF business instead of
Sc, 900, 0,000," he said.
The cement industry is a trust
Mr.. Henry said, and in proof told OF
having to pay ninety cents in New
York for the same amount of cement
he could buy for fifty cents In Pitts
burg.
E. v. Johnson, western manager
of the National Fireproofing Com
pany, read from what purported to
be the rules of the New York Board
of Fire Underwriters, which, as he
read, put an extra premium of 4
cents a hundred more on buildings
fire proofed with cinder concrete
than on those that were tiled.
What year is that book of rules?''
asked the mayor.
| This years." said Johnson.
1908 or 1902" asked Mayor Nc
Clellan.
1909" he answered.
| C. F. ~Shalcross, of the Board of
Fire Underwriters, spoke up here in
spite of the mayors ruling on inter-
ruptions.
That's an old book" he said.
The mayor turned to the fire un-
derwriters' representative.
What year is it, Mr.. Shalcross?"
he asked.
1905" replied Shalcross, quickly.
well, do you make any .distinc-
tion between buildings fireproofed
with tile and concrete?" pursued the
mayor.
The Distinction Slight.
with rs per cent. of the build
| ings of greater New York there is no
distinction, and in the other 25 per
cent. our rate is only one cent a
hundred more ON concrete than on
| tile"
CONTINUED or page ~