New-York tribune., 1909-05-20
DEFENDSBUILDINGC0 CODE
Majority Members of Commission
Reply to Criticisms.

The members of the Building Code Revision Com
mission. who submitted majority report 10 the
Board of Aldermen Tuesday. issued yesterday
through John d. Moore, statement in reply TO
the criticisms of the minority members of the com
mission, who also submitted report to the board
The statement says:
The charge of the minority that the code. as sub
mitted, permits the erection of tenement houses
higher than those permitted by the tenement mouse
act states the reverse of the actual fact Inc oIE
limitation of the state law is that non-nrepIool
tenement houses shall not have more thah 81 SIA \
stories. but may extend to any helght deSiIeu- ~
provision of the majority requires mat these SlA
stores shali not exceed SeE ~ ia ,IIifnr
IN discussing enclosures Tor elevators lle M ~ .
ty that the report of the majority places me
4-inch terra Gotta partition on an actuaI I0oIIiS I0S
with S-inch brick wall. On the other manu-, u
the majority permits the terra Gotta partuoh 10
be supported by steel beams in both the hori,
zontal and vertical directions Ihe s-Inch val @
other support than the intrinsic strength OF @tne the
wall itself. The report of the minority eACludS sS
terra Gotta in favor of concrete, although page 10
of the present code. under which pracucaHE al
the modern elevators have been installed, spe-
The precise language of the code is that stand
pipes shall have ION each floor nozzle which can
he operated and the stream from the same directed
from the street level 1t is charged IlaL .i lLi!s
means handing to one company GlSanuc
business which will have practically every real
estate 5 unwilling customer rms might
upon the market but the fact that there are at
least half dom such appliances, puts dlsuhcuy
different aspect upon the matter
The majority report requires that tests of cement
shall be accordance with the STANDARDS pre-
sCrbed by the American Society OF NlNl Engineers
The charge OF rhe minority that the average
builder is going to use on steel work the cheapest
paint he can get is admitted by Mr.. Moore. Sec
tion 12q of the present code merely requires that
steel work shall be painted" The statement
adds:
The report of the majority corrscfs 3 dhS is ~ E re-
ican graphite shall he used Tne mnerlty REQUIRE i
the use of suitable paint. leaving their meaning
entirely 10 the Imagination
In pronouncing utterly groundless the statement
of the minority the outside walls of freproof
buildings might be of terra Gotta, plaster board
or any other fimsy material. as long as ihe
Superintendent of Buildings approves H. as lhcoh-
bustible." Mr. Moore referred to Section 81 of the
proposed code. which he said made it necessary 10
submit rigid tests any of the materials proposeu
to l,e used in place of brick, stone or concrete
on the freproofng provisions of the new code
the statement says:
The cry that "cnder concrete will be put out of
business has no oasis IN LaCS' ~ b,{Iders who
have discussed this matter in the neWSpapeIs no ld9
directed attention the extremely important tact
that the present building code contains no reference
whatever TO ''Cnder concrete althouSh llIs nc" lis
teriaI has been used in many prominent S.5 NJ
Iesuire the widespread impression TO the con
trary these conditions under the present code, are
uncha nged by the report OF the laJoli,S' ~ 80. iic
they refer to buildings not more than 100 teet hl
cTte ia 92or arches shall be made with either
stone or gravel, and so they took ms sep Io @ l
showed unmistak akably that improvement IN the N rIe
proofnE tall structures was iTnPerauNt. i,it ~
concrete made Is a vastly superior h'dle'i"' ~
.ctnder concrete Is manifest
Mir. Moore denounced as absolutely fase 'le
statements IF the minority In their report that All
forms of freproofng have been placed on an eiuai
basis" He asserted that nothing IN the m'Jor'N
renort could b.. construed giving the tile people
r,ororoI, Those informed of the cost of concrete
construction. he says. agree that stone concrete
arches can be supplied in direct competition with
hollow tile He says the statement that the cost
Of concrete will be increased TO : cents Il foot Is
without foundation
The Allied Real Estate Interests OF the state OF
<ev, York II was said YESTERDAY. would take part
in the discussion OF the proposed code at the near
ing before the Board Of Aldermen