The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-11
REAL BUILDING BUREAU
WOULD SAVE CITY MONEY
Budget Would BE Less by $3.50
900 and Fire Department Need
Not Be So Great.

a saving OF three quarters OF million
al least in the budget. reduction OF the
Fire Department force. increase of men
for police duty. the adjustment of the
Fire Prevention Bureau and Tenement
House Department and the relief of the
Health Department and the Water, Gas
and Electricity Department are promised
by measure which will be introduced in
the next Legislature by the State Factory
Board. measure which has so far not
been opposed by the real estate interests
Of the city The measure is the one which
calls for the consolidation Of the duties Of
the various departments which have to
do with new buildings, under one depart
ment, the Department of Buildings.
Rudolph p. Miller, former head of the
Manhattan Bureau of Buildings and for
the time being experimenting the work
Of revising the building code. told the
members of the Building Managers Assoc
citation al the Underwriters Club last week
that he had known Of case where a
builder had to have his plans passed by
eight departments before he could start
construct ion. In most cases he said IL was
necessary for a builder to go TO at least
plans passed on if no does not wish to
court trouble and lot of expense. The
Building Department. he said, has jurisctic-
ton over the construction Of the four walls
and the floors of a building. There its
duties end and hose Of other departments
begin If 1t is tenement that ia being
erected then the Tenement House Depart
ment saws what size rooms must be laid
out or whether the court in the proposed
building is large enough. Then the
Health Department looks after the plumb
ing and a few Other things in the building
II not what the health inspectors think
they should be then the building is not
erected even though passed by the other
departments.
The Fire Prevention Bureau looks after
the fire protection Afforded by the building
II il is loft structure or factory then
the Labor Department steps in and the
builder who forgets to have the labor
bureau y. X his plans il in for peck Of
trouble If the building is for amuse-
ment such a. a moving picture house. then
the Mayor = license Bureau looks over the
plans before It can be built, and where
there is a boiler the Police Department
must be considered. This multitude of
departments il most costly and trouble
some, much time being lost IN getting
plans for new buildings or alterations
through.
Each department interprets the law in a
different light. and as there is no head to
decide seemingly Neutrality-suspicious.. build
ers or real estate men are the losers
Often leases have been made with con-
Germs not permitted in certain buildings
by one department. while another says
it Ii all right and sanctions the changes
that the prospective tenant proposes TO
make The result is that the tenant is
afraid Of the city departments and string
of conflicting orders and loca ties somewhere
else, TO the lose Of the owner Of the building
who must pay taxes to the city. which in
turn paws the salary Of the men who have
prevented him from getting an income
from his building This is state of affairs
that has existed for years and which has
been permitted To exist because of lack
Of cooperation on the part OF the real estate
interests Of thcsity
Mr. Miller thought the idea Of consolida-
ton good one. He said that the forma-
ton of the Building Department in 1892
was for that purpose. but that the trainers
Of the measure creating the Department
did not make the law broad enough to
cover future developments From time
TO time the duties of the Department Of
Buildings have been essened until now it's
power in the construction of a building is
limited to the four walls and the iooring
The interior is a matter for departments
least fitted to look after such matters
Another fault with the present system is
that each borough has building depart
ment of its own. Building operations in
Manhattan have fallen of two-thirds over
last year, Mr.. Miller said, while in Queens
and Brooklyn there is much building
so much that these departments have not
men enough to make inspections, thereby
holding up the work Ii the building de-
partments Of the various boroughs were
under one head a. every other depa rtment
in the city government is, the idle in
spectors in the Manhattan bureau could be
transferred to Brooklyn and Queens, OF
any other borough where required
Mr.. Miller said that the department
should be divided into three divisions
construction, maintenance and fire ex.
tinguishing This would mean coopera'
ton and probably saving in the number
OF men TO he employed Good construc,
ton. followed by maintenance and fire
inspection under the same department
would reduce the fire loss in this city con
siderably.
Lawrence NJ d Mcclure told the build
ing managers that the Building Depart.
ment and the salaries paid men in one OF
two other departments inspecting build
ings amounted to more than 81 200 900 a
year He said that a saving of three
quarters of million was certain accord,
ing to Mr., Miller plan,