New-York tribune., 1915-12-19
WANTS NEW LAW
TO GUARD CITY
A.R.Kirkus Lays Most FIRE
Disasters to Too Many
Inspecting Bureaus.
ONE BODY TO MAKE
ALL INSPECTIONS
Chairman of Business Men 5
Committee Says Consolidation
Will Remove Danger.

COUlrn1ttee OdNS
Will Remove Danger.
Hundreds of buildings in New iorN
City will continue to hold out dangers
- .r,h los. of life and property as
yoro suffered in the Triangle waist
Ere and the recent Diamond factory
fire as long as six city ana S.ate W
partments make conflicting rui.ns 49,,
garding the construction ana go
OF buildings, according TO AILleu
Kirkus. chairman OF conference eL L
r,;,,ee Of business men VINO sees
through legislative action, e9nIY',Ga III 80,
.;on ~ inspection functions OF all CITY
on5 state departments having 10 90
with building construction, al'era''o"
and structural changes. .Lo
Mr. Kirkus, as spokesman LOT w
sutomomobile. banking, dry goouS'
botel real estate and allied interests
demands the rigid enforcement OF eN's',
ing laws for the protection OF ne hnu
nronertv. but he declares enforcement
iunossible while authority Is dlNlueu
hetween the building. fire, health state
Iabor tenement house and water sup
niy GAS and electricity departments
~ xbiIe each on makes and tries 70
enforce rulings at variance win Vhe
rulings of all the others. Inc "ots'
disasters sin the city IN recent years
Nv Kirkus saws. can be traced TO multi
nIici,v of INSPECTIONS. and he believes
recurTerce of them can be stopped for
ever IL one department is made respoh
sible for the rigid enforcement OF the
law. p,, -,
Tho Fire Department." continues MT
E;rtus "hsd the enforcement OF the
law regarding fire drills and the IN
stallation of fire alarms IN the Dia-
mond factory in Brooklyn. The IN
ouest following the fire brought OUT
the fact that there were neither drlIis
or alarms. The State Labor Depart
ment il authorized by law to enforce
the provisions regarding the building
NJ freproof or fire resisting exits 10
enforce the law regarding UNLOCKED
exits and exits opening outward: None
OF these provisions for the satety OF
tenants were enforced. Inc state
Labor Department requires eouiuel
balanced starways, but in the Diamond
factory the stairway, when an sttenip,,
was made 10 lower it, | am told, tel'
on to the top of an exit door at the
ground level, making both exit ana
stairway useless" -,
The impossibility Of complying win
all orders of the various departments
is pointed out by Mr. kirkus, VINO says
that the Tenement House Department
caIls for LADDERS at the bottom OF fire
escanes. while the State Labor Depart
nent demands counter-balsnced stair
yavs The last section of the new
Ruildine Code dealing with exits from
bn;Idings has been completed, after the
,,iaws of experts from all over the coql.-
trv had been consulted. In spite OF
this the Fire Prevention Bureau OF the
Fire Department is issuing orders re-
garding exits. having made rulings
which are entirely it's own and IN no
wav related to the provisions Of the
Building Code.
How can any one know what the
law is?" Mr. Kirkus continued. NO
matter how much one would like 10
obev II il is impossible. We certainly
do not intend 70 remove safeguards.
Far from it. By the removal OF dl-
vided responsibility we expect TO erect
a real safeguard. II mas been proved
that divided responsibility makes pos
sible the locked door and prevents
proper fire escapes or means OF exit
as we'll as ire drills and alarms
"We want consolidation of all IN
spections of buildings TO be erected or
altered in New York City. Then lt
will be necessary for builders TO hle
plans with one department. which same
department will give a certificate tnat
the building is properly constructed or
sold or leased and the buyer or lessee
can feel assured that he is not the
owner or tenant Of a structure that
any hour may take terrible toll OF
life.
"The approval of the consolidation
plan is so great that various officials
and organizations are reported TO be
preparing bills. The only fear | have
is that too many bills may be drawn
with the purpose of bringing ABOUT
this result. and that we will be COM
PEELED TO ask that we be defended from
cur alleged friends. Those who now
seem 10 be endcavorng to effect com
promise and who are trying TO unite
factions are perhaps reckoning without
their host They are apparently not
recognizing the fact that no matter
what bill IS introduced it will have to
be satisfactory 20 the Legislature. A
bill that might be acceptable to the
Mayor or q bill that might be satisfac-
tory TO the Borough Presidents. or one
that might be satisfactory to both
these factions might still not be sat
isfactory to the Legislature.
That the DILL which was presented
By the conference committee TO the
last Legislature was satisfactory to it
is proved by the fact that it passed
the Senate with but two negative votes
and that il passed the Assembly with
f06 votes in favor and only % votes
in opposition. II IS TO be regretted
that so much time was lost in en-
Geavorirg 20 bring about various COM
promises. Had this tine not been lost
the bill, would have been returned TO
the Legislature. and beyond any ques-
tior would have become a law"
The conference committee on Novem-
Der % wrote to the Board of Estimate
and Apportionment. asking it to join in
preparing bill or offering suggestions
toward the proposed consolidation. Mr.
McAneny, acting Mayor, replied that
within the next several days he would
have drafts Of a bill proposed 10
remedy the existing conditions. and
that he would be glad TO have the COM
mittee meet with representatives of the
city in the matter at some time TO be
arranged-certsinly before December
10.
The 10th of December has come and
gone" said Mr.. Kirkus. "and there has
been no conference. nor have we seen
any draft OF bill as promised. so the
conference committee is drawing up a
bill and will submit it to the Board of
Estimate and Apportionment for sug-
gestions or approval. The committee
will further bill acceptable TO a ma
jority of the members of the Board of
Estimate and Apportionment