The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-08-05
GKERS TO 60, IS SENT IMENI
 0F INVESTIGATORS.
Mayor s Special Committee Votes Overwhelming
 Against Frame Houses.

It is ss2s,' for the wooden three decker tenement in Bridgeport if the vote last night of the special eommit7S tee raised by Mayor Wilson to con sfder housing conditions here carries any weight Twenty three mem bers of the commission met and organized in the common council chamber of the city hall and by vote of 15 to 2 decided that the ordinance forbiddlns the; building Of wooden houses more than two stories in height to house more than two families ought to pass The committee also voted to change the building regulations so that the second story walls of concrete sor terra cottas houses may be built only eight inches thick instead of 12 inches as is now required.
 Mayor Wilson presided at the meet Ing Thomas Arnold, whose operations ] in real estate are extensive espec1aliy ] h building new houses and developing < a,Sl4noproved property declared that the so-called three-decker houses are much safer than some of the houses where attic rooms are finished and used as sleeping apartments that have only one staircase, leading down from xhen- Thomas Owens 3. plumber, also epake in opposition and called atten- ton of the committee to the fact that 6he building regulations required proper safeguards in the way pf stair casesz etc. in the three-decker houses which were not required in the two story and a half houses Resigned for two families Alvin H. Hancock, Sreasurer of the Bridgeport Land & Title Co, spoke along the same line All three said that if brick or concrete walls were to be required in houses for more than three families the cost would be rnuch greatersthat inves- tors would not be attracted
 William Martin building comn1ls- sioner hit this argument over the head n, that brick walls means only few Hundred dollars additional cost which vas more than made up in a few years hFs.the saving on painting and repairs David S. Day of the Good Housing as- Sociation said that the proposed ord1- nance had been discussed public llearings published in the newspapers and the people pretty generally under stood what 1t was. He said he be- afeved the public favored the restric- ton of three-decker houses and looked to the committee to do something tam e1b1e in the way of restriction at once
 am afraid, 7 he said, that the is- sue will be clouded or befuddled if we attempt at this time to introduce or to have psssF gk the common council a, ssDr Drdin1ancs Of any other ma tnre Or an Extensive building code such as has been spoken of here toni gI1t. " Mayor Wilson expressed himself as opposed to the building Of three decker
 
 tfon. He produced a copy of the building code, which he helped to frame in 1919. and saying that it1was the most comprehensive code he knew -advocated that it be adopted
 Attorney Day objected on tie ground that 1t would be necessary to discuss 9n the council the various sections oi the code which would further retard the passing sof the ordinance forbid ding the bui1ding Of the tf1ree-deekers with wooden walls. All other mem beTs of the committee expressed them selves in favor of the ordfnance.s al though all did not vote in favor Of 1t It was said last night that the Rem ssngton Arms-U. M c. Go. intends te build a large number of brick or terra cptta houses for it's workmen and the change in the thickness of second sto- walls was made at the request o1 Architect NorcroSs of the company.
 The ordinance will undoubtedly bf reported favorably at the next meeting of the common council.