New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-14
URGES ACTION ON
CONSOLIDATION
Time to PutTheories Aside
and End OverinSpec-
ton Nuisance.
MANY CONFLICTING
ORDERS ISSUED
Efforts That Have Been Made
TO Unite the Bureaus
Discussed.


By Julius FRANKIE, Of Maynieke 4
FRANKIE. architects. lie IL chairman Of
tbe committee on consolidation of the
New York Chapter Of the American In
stitute of Architects.
There IL no city in the world which
has had it's building affairs so mon
strously overregulated as New York
City. More orders have been issued
FOR changes in buildings that have been
erected in New York than there have
been, venture TO say. in all the other
buildings Of the world put together,
and this in the face Of the fact that
New York has. without exception, me
best and safest buildings OF any city
in the world. ,
Il is about time that the question OF
patronage and theories are eliminated
and some consolidation IS Effected, 70
afford the necessary and much desired
Since August. 1913, for more than a
year and a half, those having to do
with buildings. as owner, lessee
builder, real estate agent and archl-
tect, have been hoping that somehow
the absurd, inefficient condition OF con
fietinc authority in the administration
Cf building laws would be cleared up,
and that all building laws and regula-
.ions would be consolidated into one
department
lust imagine what would happen If
such an unnecessary, expensive and in
efficient condition Of affairs were TO
Exist In large corporation. Either the
corporation would have 20 wind up us
affairs and 60 out OF existence, or else
/, would have 70 adopt new and modern
methods because Of competition.
Unfortunately. the city has no com
petitor. and may be as stupid and in
efficient as IL pleases, provided the
PEOPLE foot the bills, either by paying
extra in the way Of dollars and cents
or By giving unnecessary time to al
their dealings with the various and
varying jurisdictions, which amounts
&C the same thing IN many cases as
raging actual cash.
Now, every one agrees there should
be 9 larger measure Of sanity intro
cuced into the administration of our
building laws. and that the most IN
portant and immediate need is consld-
cred by all to be that Of "consolida-
ton" which has been so much dis
oussed. with so little result
Although everybody is agreed that
there should be consolidation, there
appears TO be a diversity Of opinion as
70 how this consolidation shall be
brought about.
There seem 10 he three groups active
" interested in this subject. The first
group is our statesmen, who cannot
agree among themselves, one set OF
whom is advocating that there shall be
but one head. with deputies in the diff
ferent boroughs; the other set main
tanning that there shall be separate
heads in each Of the five boroughs,
with a central board, made up Of the
various heads, TO insure the uniform
administration Of the law and regula-
tions in the different Doroughs.
The statesmen are accused of play
ing politics in this matter, each set
trying TO increase the patronage now
under its central, at the expense of the
other.
The second group is that interested
in building matters only, and is also
divided as to whether there shall be
one head, with deputies in the different
boroughs, or a separate head in each,
with board, as above described The
first set maintains that there will be
more economy and more uniformity in
end set maintains that the function Of
government is not only 10 see that
laws are enforced, but also to assist
the people in their endesvors 10 build
by shortening as much as possible the
"red tape" incident to dealings with
the building departments, and also as
sisting the people in building economi-
cBlly This set maintains that the de-
sired result can be obtained only by
having a head in each borough. who
will be in intimate touch with the
needs Of the people and the building
interests In that borough. They claim
that they wish TO build solidlv and
substantially in every particular, but
feel that the administration should
help them rather than hinder them,
which IL would be doing by dealing
with them at farms length" as il
we're, by having one head. sitting in
the Borough of Manhattan, miles away
from the scene Of their activities.
The third group are those who are
taxpayers and those interested in
building matters, and only desire that
there be consolidation. They do not
care much whether there be one head
ever all or one head in each borough,
so long as there is consolidation.
The Factory Investigating Commits
sion published some time ago a tenta-
tive scheme of consolidating the vari-
GUS departments. This has been ap-
proved Of In substance by most everv-
body, the only differences being along
the Zines above indicated. but the final
bill has not yet been forthcoming from
this commission.
There are many real estate associa-
tons which have committees with this
matter in charge. Some Of them have
drawn up proposed bills, but no def
mite steps have yet been taken.
Then, again. within the last few DAYS
the Mayor has appointed a committee
known as the Mayors building inspec.
tion committee" and hearings are
being held ito afford an opportunity to