Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-04-19
FIRE BILL Up
TO GOVERNOR
Provides for Protection on
All Factory Buildings.

Trenton, April 19:-Without a
dissenting vote the Senate yesterday
passed as it came from the Assembly
the Balentlne supplement to the fac
tory and workshop law Of 1904,
which provides for what is now con
sidered to be an adequate law regu-
lating the maintenance Of fire es-
eapes and similar necessary precau-
tons against possible loss of life or
limb on all such buildings now or
hereafter erected.
All that the bill requires to put it
into immediate operation is the ap-
proval of Governor Wilson, who was
instrumental in having it prepared
by Colonel Lewis T. Bryant, chief Of
the Department Of Labor, and the at
torney generals department. Work
On the bill followed the inyestiga-
ton into the cause Of the High street
factory fire in Newark, in which the
lives Of twenty-six girl operatives
were lost on November 26, 1910.
The bill was not introduced until
March 10, two months after the Leg
islature organized, and then only
when 145 lives were sacrificed under
almost exactly similar circumstances
at a factory fire IN New York. Ade-
quate precaution in the matter Of fire
escapes and unimpaired methods of
egress from both buildings might. it
has been claimed, have minimiZed or
averted the awful loss of life.
What is considered as the most
important feature of the new law is
the fact that ample power is con-
ferred on the department of labor to
enforce its rulings, even to the ex-
tent of closing and preventing the
use of any building where operatives
are employed that does not comply
with the orders of the department as
provided by the law.
The provisions of the new law ex-
tend to all buildings now or hereaf-
ter used for the manufacture Of
goods OF any kind. Hereafter no
building shall be erected, nor a build
ing not now used for factory pur-
poses be adapted to such use, unless
the fire protection, ventilation and
sanitation plans are first approved
by the Labor Commissioner and De-
partment Of Charities and Correc-
lions. Buildings two stories In
height shall have at least two means
of egress from the second story, eth
er by inside freproof stairway or
outside fire escapes, or both, placed
at opposite ends of the buildings. For
each story above the second thsre
shall be at least two means of egrc
and an inside stairway, the other an
outside fire escape.
| All doors leading TO inside stair
ways or to fire escapes or other
methods Of egress shall open out
ward or be sliding doors and If fas-
tened at all, only in such a way as to
be readily opened from the inside. In
all buildings than two stories
a fire alarm system with sufficiently
large gongs shall be maintained On
each floor or room, where more than
one factory is on a floor, and all
within easy access of the opera
tiyes.
A fire drill sufficient to enable the
operatives Of a factory - leave a
building rapidly shall be maintain
ed in every factory more than two
stories in height. The drill shall be
practiced at least once a month and
whenever a demonstration is re-
CURED by the labor commissioner or
local fire department. All the re-
quirements Of the new law are Ain
imum arranged for the guidance Of
the commissioner and may lie null
tiplied as his judgment dictates.