Perth Amboy evening news., 1909-07-23
National Fireproofing Company Well
Represented At Building Code
Hearing in New York.
MR.. BLOOMFIELD HAS EXHIBITS
Shows Mayor Mcclellan Result Of
Burning Cinder Concrete and Hol-
low Tile Under 1000 Degrees.

New York, July 23:-Daniel f.
Cohalan, chairman of the Tammany
law committee and counsel for the
National Fireproofing Company, says
there Is no politics in the new build
ing code approved by the Tammany
majority of the Board of Aldermen
aad favored in its important feat
ures by the company represented by
Mr.. Cohalan. Anti-Tammany men
generally are smiling at Mr.. Coha-
lans remark.
The friends of the proposed code
had their innings yesterday, and
used all the time at the morning and
afternoon sessions answering the OBJ
jections raised at the Wednesday
hearing by the opponents of the
code. Mayor Mcclellan presided,
giving close attention to the points
made by the friends of the code, ask
ing sharp questions and making life
miserable for erratic speakers.
The burden of the remarks by the
friends of the code was that hollow
tile was superior to cinders, sand
and cement as a fireproofing materi-
al, and that life and property would
be safer with rigid restrictions
against the use of anything but hol-
low tile.
Daniel +. Cohalan was the last to
speak, and was clear and forcible.
The mayor did not look at him for
the first fifteen minutes, but during
The latter part of the Tammany lead
er's remarks the mayor and his for
mer political colleague looked
straight at each other Mr.. Cehalan
said:
.sr4 A.. ,,neort,,no4o +bat n nnIor Il oe
been given to the framing of the
code which has nothing to do with
its merits. / have been for years
N[hsel for the National Fireproofing
Company. The papers have seen fit
to give the impression that because
/ have taken small part In local
politics, politics in some way is mix
ed up in the drawing of the code.
This is an unfortunate phase of the
present situation. So far as our side
is concerned, there has been no eff
fort directly or indirectly to inject
politics into the formulation of a
code that shall be for the best inter-
ests of the city as whole.
Calls Attack on Code Unfair.
THAT the republican members OF
the board causused on the code three
Times and voted against 1t Is true.
It also is unfortunately true that
other members of the board opposed
to the organization with which l am
affiliated opposed the adoption of
the code, imparting a political as
pect to the controversy. 1t also was
and Is opposed by a number of fly
by-night political organizations, all
of which charge the majority of the
aldermen with base motives. These
attacks are unfair. The newspapers
have put on the code-making COM
plexion it does not deserve.
80 far as the company which
represent is concerned, we want it
understood that we have asked no
favors from the aldermen. We ask
that the code be considered on its
merits. There should be no politics
in it. The campaign against the
adoption of the code has been admir-
ably accelerated. The cement trust
is asking 25 per cent. more for it's
product in this city than is asked by
1t in other cities, and yet they say
they are not being fairly treated by
the aldermen The cinder concrete
men never were so fairly treated be-
fore.
I'm this code cinder construction
for the first time Is recognized and
defined. That does not satisfy them.
The cinder concrete people will not
be satisfied with any code that does
not give them a monopoly in this
city. We hold that ashes with any
considerable quantity of combustible
material in them should not be used
in freproofing. If the cost of fire.
proofng is increased by the proposed
code, the increase is justified by the
added safety. There is no trust or
monopoly by the National Fireproof-
ing Company. The company merely
asks that its competitors be brought
up to as high standard as Is re-
quired for itself
mo additional powers are con-
ferred by the new code on the super
intendent of buildings. No ordinance
adopted by the aldermen can take
from or add to the powers con-
ferred by the charter. The code
should be approved because 1t is a
meritorious ordinance We expect
nothing less, and we ask for nothing
more"
Sitting with the mayor behind the
big mahogany desk In the old coun-
Gil chamber were Chief Engineer
Lewis, of the Board of Estimate and
Apportionment; c. B. J.. Snyder, SUI
perintendent of buildings of the
Board OF Education, and William B.
Crowell, the mayors legal advisor.