New-York tribune., 1911-03-02
HITS HEAD OF BUREAU
Fosdick Says CombustlbIes'
Work Is inefficient.
REPORT HINTS AT GRAFT
Tells Mayor Inadequate Force
and Unintelligent Direction
Are Responsible.

In a report to the Mayor yesterday on the
bureau Of combustbles of the Fire Depart
ment Raymond F. Fosdick, Commissioner
OF Accounts, declared that enough mas
been disclosed by our investigation to snow
that, instead of being thorough and com
prehensive, the work has been lax, nap
hazard and wholly inefficient The present
condition is apparently due to two causes:
First, to an inadequate force; second. TO
the unintelligent direction by the head OIL
the bureau of the force in hand
1t is understood that Fire Commissioner
Waldo has only been waiting for copy OF
the report before starting Reorganization
of the bureau. The present head OF the pu-
reau is Joseph l.. Burke. who has held the
place since December 1907. "He appears to
lack not only executive ability, but even
technical knowledge of his bureau de-
clared the report HE was unable TO de-
fine many OF the important features OF the
regulations which. under the law ne Is
obliged to enforce. In our opinion he Is
entirely incapable OF discharsing the duties
Of his present position"
Under the charter the bureau OF COM
bustibles is charged with the enforcement
Of the law and ordinances relating TO the
storage, sale and use Of combustlble ma
terials In the city. The great part OF the
work OF the bureau is confined 10 the lsHu-
ance OF licenses and permits for garages
for the sale, use and transportat ton OF
dynamite and other explosives. for kero-
sene oil and infammable or combustibe
materials.
In order to get a line on the efficiency or
the bureau the office Of the Commissioner
Of Accounts made a number of inspections
In the various classes of work of the ou-
reau. or the 1000 garages, 400 Of which are
public, 236 were inspected by Commission
er Fosdick's men. In them 1856 violations oil
the law were found. only thirty-three were
found TO comply with all the requirements
of the law. twenty-nine were operating
without a license, nineteen OF them never
had a license, In thirty-eight places wood
en- floors and stairways existed throughout
the building, with no precaution against
fire, and in twenty-four places the floors
were oil soaked. Many other dangerous
conditions were discovered.
One inspector testified regarding certain
place that he had not recommended the
| granting OF a license. but he understood II
| was obtained through political influence
| Many instances were found where licenses
had been issued either in ignorance or oil
} in spite of reports OF inspectors showing
| that the law was not met by the garages
The report related that one Of the ol
surveyors in the bureau was interested II
a garage equipment company in which his
wife. sister and son were stockholders
| hot ina
sembling this man had told persons erect
ing garages that their equipment woul'
bo passed If il was furnished by the IA
vored concern.
| The proprietor of one garage who nae
| trouble with the bureau over equipment
said he had handed over a check for S2'
| to a man representing himself as an agen'
of the bureau IL was made payable II
Edward Duryea" The identity Of the
latter could not be determined. but the
handwriting in which the check was in
dorsed bore a close resemblance to that OF
| an inspector who had been detailed 10 the
gnrage.
| AS 10 the inspection of places handling
drugs, chemicals. oils and other infiam
mable and combustible products, the re-
port saws that las of the 700 places visit
ed by the inspectors OF the Commissioners
| of Accounts had no licenses and some OF
| them had never had any. 1T is estimated
thai the revenues Of the city could be in
creased by s150.000 a year" says the re-
rort, IF all those who handle drugs, chem
icals and oils and other infammable and
com tustible materials were compelled tc
take out the licenses required by the city's
regulations"
Commissioner Fosdick went on to show
that the inspection of the handling OF
| dynamite for blasting operations was en-
tirely inadequate. The seriousness OF
such conditions" said the report, "be-
comes apparent when II IS realized that
the capacity for storage of dynamite in
magazines allowable under permits issued
by the bureau in 1910 amounted to 22.615
pounds"