The Washington herald., 1922-10-04
Inspectors Report Shows
Force Unable to Cope
With Increase.
STANDARDS OF 20
YEARS SAGOPREVAIL
Every Employe Said to
Have About $50 Jobs
To Look After.

tTlCl nave lnCEedseu nearly @VV pci
cent yet the number of employees
end the salaries they receive remain
approximately the same as twenty
years ago.
With construction going ahead by
leaps and bounds. the only addi-
tionaI funds made available for in
creasing the force of the Building
Inspectors office is the 100000 pro-
vided by Congress following the
Knickerbocker disaster.
Every employe now has approxi-
mately $50 jobs to look after.
Unless further aid is given the
building inspectors office. proper
supervision and inspection cannot
keep pace with the increase in
building operations.
These facts are brought out in
the annual report of the inspector
of buildings. made public yester-
day by the District Commissioners.
Increase of 200 Per Cent.
Figures for the fiscal year end
Ing June 30. 1922. show an in
crease in value of building opera
tiOns for the year which Is nearly
200 per cent greater than the aver
age for the preceding fifteen years.
During the year the city issued
IO.997 permits for building opera
tions totaling S36.223.0S9. The per-
mits issued during 1921 numbered
s.31O. with a value of s19.025.291.
The increase for the year in value
of operations was S17,197,79S over
1921. The average for the last
fifteen years was approximately
50, 100000.
Commenting on the increase in
operations the Building Inspector
says:
This increase has, of course,
added in a corresponding degree to
the work of the office, without any
permanent increase in the number
of employees For the fiscal year
1923 there was an appropriation of
$4,000 made by Congress for the
employment Of temporary addition
al inspectors. following the recog
milton on the part of the public. as
a result OF the knickerbocker The
ater disaster. of the fact that the
department was undermanned. But
this relief fails to meet the neces-
stiles OF the situation. While the
full quota of the employees which
the appropriation justifies has been
filed, there is no assurance that
the staff will remain intact through
out the year. Indeed, experience
indicates the contrary.
During 1922 three engineers re-
signed to accept more lucrative en-
ployment with engineering firms.
Recently two experienced clerks
withdrew from the service because
OF greater salary Inducements else
where. The filling of these po-
sitions is difficult. In the case of the
engineers. il mas been found that
either promising men accept the po-
sition with the idea of gaining such
practical experience as will enable
them to make more advant9-s 'us
connections outside. or experienced
engineers decline to enter the serv-
ice because only temporary employ
ment may be promised. In the case
OF the clerks the salaries are so
meagre that competent men fire.
quently utilize the experience gained
merely as a stepping stone to more
remuneTative jobs.
notwithstanding the handicaps
under which the department has
been compelled to operate. a recent
survey has been made of all the
aters, public halls, etc. in the Dis
trict. and, while no actually danger
Gus conditions have been found.
hose Of the older buildings not in
strict compliance with the present
regulations are being so altered az
TO conform herewith, and the Ma
tionaI and Poll theaters are under
going complete reconstruction and.
when finished, will meet in every re-
spect the latest approved engineer
ing standards of safety and security.
Force Nearly Same for Years.
1T is believed fitting to urge at
tention to the fact that the force
of this office, except for the tenn
porary employees referred to above.
has not been augmented for years
past At the time OF the kniCker-
booker catastrophe the personnel
consisted of the inspector of build
ings. I3 assistant inspectors. a fire
escape inspector. three engineers or
cOmputers. a chief clerk, four under
clerks, and a messenger. who also
acted as chauffeur. The salary of
the inspector was $4,000 year; that
of the principal assistant was $1,000:
two assistants were paid $500 each.
one S1,4OO. and the remainder 1900.
The salaries of the engineers were.
respectively. $4,000. $500. $500.
The fire inspectors salary was ST.
400; that of the chief clerk $500,
and the average pay of the under
clerks. 1.S0O.
These salaries are the same as
now received
Three of the assistants were. and
are. assigned to the inspection OF
elevators. supervising the instaiia-
tion and making quarterly examI-
nations thereafter with respect to
the safety of operation. One as
sistant acts as an aid to the fire
escape inspector. leaving nine for
inspection of general construction.
etc.
Difficulties On Increase.
with the growth Of the District.
the difficulty of efficient admins
tration has become more and more
pronounced. particularly since steel
and concrete construction has be-
come so prevalent. and the admin
iistration of the coming regulations
has been added to the duties of thc
office
There has seemed to he a general
-nisapprehension of the depart
ment's full scope an impression
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