South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-07-24
City Attorney Finds $500 Was
Appropriated in Indianapolis
for Building Ordinance But
This Doesn't Cover Cost.
WILL RENEW REQUEST
FOR S1,5Oe ALLOWANCE
Members of Local Drafting
Committee Maintain Salts
factory Code Demands Ex-
penditure of Larger Sum.

When the committee OF the hole"
resumes its interest i'm the proposed
building code for South Bend at its
meeting in two weeks. City Atty. Eli
F. Seebirt VIII have report pre-
pared on the cost and circumstances
of the compilation of the Indianapo-
lis building ordinance.
Believing that the appropriation
asked by the committee Of architects
and contractors in charge Of the for
mutation of the South Bend building
code is too large. the council instruct
ed city Atty. Seebirt to investigate
the cost of the Drafting of building
codes in other cities and he spent
some time probing the matter while
in Indianapolis this week.
According To Mr.. Seebirt he FOUND
that the Indianapolis ordinance was
compiled by the building department
there. A building code had been IN
effect in the state capital for several
years but i'm 1913 it was found ad-
visable to revise the old one and
committee OF architects and con
tractors was appointed TO work with
the building department in the re-
construction Of a new code.
Committee Work Gratis.
Several months was consumed in
the work which cost $500 This $500
did not include payment for the
services Of the committee which do
mated its time while all clerical work
was done by the clerks and engineers
in the building department. IN addl-
ton to their regular work. The oniy
outside expense incurred was the
q 4 d. 70 a
Of Purdue university who drafted the
clauses in the code relative 10 con-
crete construction. he being an eX-
pert in this line of work.
81 do not mean that the building
code OF Indianapolis cost but $500
said Mr.. Seebirt Friday. because
when the time spent by the building
department and the committee IS
considered the expense would have
amounted to much more. The fact
that there was "A building code in ex-
istence to form a basis for the new
one must be considered"
Believes Code satisfactory.
MIR. Seebirt also stated that the
building commissioner Of Indianapo-
lis said that ne believed the ordi-
nance to be generally satisfactory. In
addition he claimed that there is al
ways a certain amount Of criticism,
but as a whole he believed that the
people of Indianapolis were satisfied
with the present ordinance. lie
thinks, according TO Mr.. Seebirt. that
the indianapolis code could be slight
ly changed TO suit conditions in
South Bend and adopted with salts
factory results
Members OF the committee in
charge Of the drafting of the code
here. do not believe the Indianapolis
code satisfactory. stating that there
are a number OF objectional features
in IL This committee which IS
composed OF r. r. Austin, chairman;
Christopher Fassnacht. H. G. Christ
man, ROLAND Adelsperger and r. ".
Young. has been in communication
with many cities throughout the
country regarding the building code
and reports they have received are
TO the effect that the mOst satisfac-
tory ordinance must be drafted to
suit local conditions almost entirely.
Architects Dissatisfied.
Architects in Indianapolis who
have been heard from by the South
Bend committee state that in many
respects the code there is inefficient
and lacks in Omprehensiveness-
They believe that an expert should
have been given charge of the mat
ter as he would have been more
competent 10 devise an efficient code.
This is the contention OF the South
Bend committee who have asked the
council for an appropriation OF ST.
500 with which TO complete the code.
Ira II Wilson consulting engineer
Of the committee on construction Of
buildings OF the national board OF nre
underwriters OF New York has in
formed the South Bend committee
that he believes the $500 already ap-
propriated by the city council insult
dcient TO carry out the work
Milwaukee spent $500.
Inspector OF Buildings William ID.
Harper Of Milwaukee reported TO
the South Bend men that the build
ing ordinance there was drafted by a
committee OF Is men who donated
their services and himself. He did
not receive any additional recompen-
satiOn for the work The building
code OF Milwaukee cost the city ST.
500 not considering the labor OF the
committeeman and the building in
spector. according TO Mr. Harper.
Opposition 20 the appropriation
for the building code by the council
the committee of the hole" at the
next meeting and some intereetinE
developments are expected beforss
the matter D. threshed cut. The code
committee clai;. that il cannot go
ahead with work without additional
funds and the council believes that
the ordinance OF another city can be
lifted bodily with practically no ex-
pense and be used with satisfaction
ia SoutA Bend.