The New York herald., 1922-04-09
OPPOSE GAS VALVE
BILL OF ALDERMEN
Realtors Believe Other Safety
Devices Ought to Be Re-
quired by Law.

The ordinance now before the Board
of Aldermen which would compel tho
owner of every building in which gas Is
used to install an automatic cutoff valve
at an estimated expense OF from 500 10
$50. will be opposed by the Real Estate
Board of New York, not SO much because
Of the expense involved, but on the
ground that IL the remedy which 1t seeks
in the way of protection to life Of oc-
cupants and firemen. &C.. Is desirable
then other forms of safeguarding equip
nent should also be installed.
The board estimates that on the basis
of 100000 buildings Of all kinds In New
York city the expense to all the property
owners will amount to many millions.
The ordinance, which has been favoraoiy
reported by the committee OF buildings.
includes all buildings, with the excep-
tion OF residential structures having less
than fifteen sleeping rooms,
By the wording of the report AZ pub
lished In the CITY Record 1t Is evident
that the committee intended TO exempt
one and two family houses, amounting In
all to 100000 buildings. But the ordi-
nance as printed. according to the re-
mort, does not exempt them. Referring TO
this ordinance the Real Estate Board
says:
mo civic organization should oppose
any measure that safeguards human life
merely because OF its cost, but when an
expense of approximately $50. .000,0 by
property owners Is made mandatory Its
proponents should be compelled to prove
absolutely beyond question that such Will
be the result
"The proposed device. which Is pat
ented and which has been approved by
the Board of Standards and Appeals,
will cost from t65 to $3.50. In addition
to the cost OF making the necessary
changes in the gas pipes and In the
building.
''If dwellings are exempted there will
still remain 250,000 buildings to be
equipped at an average cost at least OF
500. This would total s25,00o,000 to be
paid by the owners or passed on to tho
tenant.
"The Real Estate Board asked for
further consideration OF so important
an ordinance and urged that excessive
haste was not necessary. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that this demand was made
by the board and others present at the
nance was favorably reported and will
be on Tuesdays calendar, April IL, 1929
'yrha- committee on building laws
and regulations Of the board adopted
the following resolutions which clearly
indicate that the ordinance Is not OPP
posed on the score OF expense, but that
IL the remedy desired is essential other
forms OF equipment should be provided.
I'VE oppose installation Of automatic
mechanism. We oppose application OF
the proposed ordinance to present build
ings, even IL manually operated We
favor gas cutoff on the outside OF
buildings in q location more readily ac-
cessibie than as required by the present
ordinance and by Section 601 Of the
Building Code as far as It affects new
buildings.
"That tho equipment of the Rescue
Squad OF the Fire Department In rela-
tion to gas masks. be extended TO in
clude approved apparatus to meet the
danger from all gases and extended also
to the whole department. and that .
sufficient appropriation be made for this
purpose"