Evening star., 1923-01-10
DAzED BY BUILDING
/ INSPECTION SLASH
Citizens, Realtors and Con-
tractors See Crisis as Re-
/ suit of House Action.
MOTOR ITEM HELD VITAL
Cut in Monthly Allowance Like
Reducing Force in Midst
- of Rush Is View.

Officials OF the DlSlilSt DHi''S
spection department and many Iocai
civic interests, builders and real estate
men concerned over the virtual Crisis
which confronts the municipal building
5,snactor's office had not recovered To-
day from the shock caused py the
action of the House in slashins "ha'
is declared to be one of the most I'M
nortant items in the District approprla-
ton bills, from the standpoint OF the
city development and safety the tunu 10
urovide for maintenance OF motor
vehicles in the office of the building IN
Epector.
INSIGNIFICANT though the item may
have appeared in comparison wlth 'he
mass of figures quoted in the long isl
of appropriations announced, its actuai
inheritance was such that officials TO-
day scarcely could estimate the eHecl
nf the reduction, il made into law py
the concurrence Of the Senate.
Although amounting IN colu ns
ures, to only total cut of S46S year
from the $3.50 asked for by the
budget bureau and recommended py
the House appropriations conliill!ee
the reduced fund, when its full I'M
port was realized. was seen as
direct blow at WHAT NiliCL VIZ IA
Ritchie today characterized as prop
ably the most imperative need OF the
rnunicipal inspection department
TRANSPORTATION facilities.
Monthly Allowance Cut.
The deplorable aspect of the reduc-
tfon item does not lay prlnclpally ~
the total allowance made TOT the up
keep Of the motor vehlcles' IL wa
.a,nted out, but in the action OF tne
ESuse in cutting the monthly fund al
soN,ed each vehicle owner for mann
tenanCe from S26 to $40, in the case
Of automobiles, and from Sl5 10 slu
in the case of motor cycleS-d stSl
which threatens to result in the with
drawal of several, II not an, OF tus
private machines now used by thelr
owners in inspection work.
Three and four automoblles ano
three motorcycles have been IN con.
stant use by the building inspectors
during the current fiscal year under
the S26 and $13 monthly allowances
respectively but growing COSTS ol
motor vehicle upkeep nave fecenClS
threatened to result in hnancial los
10 the inspectors using their OWL
cars Withdrawal Of at least one OF
two OF the machines by reason ol
this fact has been imminent lol
some time, Mr.. Ritchie said. The mer
are far from handsomely remuner'
ated. it was pointed out, and tneS
could not afford to dig INTO thelI
avn pockets to buy gasoline and
tires and other accessories used Ut
in District service.
for maintenance of two more auto
mobiles is. in effect, threatened WITH
notification through the reduceu
monthly allowance, to say nothhs ol
the probability of the machines now
in use being continued in service.
Like Reducing Force.
l.
ton would be the same as IL Con
oress. in the face of the Creates
construction program the Dlstrlct o.
Columbia has ever known, deno'
erately reduced the already over
whelmed inspection force of twenty
i've men employed on the regular
rolls by about 20 or 80 per cent. II
was estimated.
If. for instance, two automobiles
are withdrawn from the inspection
office, the department would be put
behind in its work to an extent rep
resented in retardinS two inspectors
power of output from hVe-man
standard. made possible by quick
TRANSPORTATION, to the antlquated one
man standard necsssitated .iI by stree'
Imposition of such a handicap al
this time would amount to a catas-
trophe, it was declared A substantial
increase in the allotment OF FUNDS Tor
the city in their daily routine of duties
was regarded as essential to proper
conduct of building inspection work.
phase of municipal administration
that has come to occupy a leading
place in the growth of a city and in
the protection of human life and
property.
During the present fiscal year Build
ing Inspector Healy's department has
been able to maintain three or four
privately owned automobiles for use
in conveying their inspector owners
from one operation to another. An
appropriation of 81 200 has made this
possible.
Economy in Time.
Chief Clerk Ritchie said today that
by using their cars in travelling from
one end OF the District limits to the
other and back again, perhaps, each
inspector has succeeded in covering
territory in one day that it would
take five men to cover by street car
and foot.
The budget bureau recommended
that this appropriation be increased
next year to $3.50, providing fol
maintenance OF five privately owned
automobiles at the rate of $26 pei
month, and urged an additional ap.
preparation of $46S to maint tain three
motorcycles used by elevator inspec.
tors, at the monthly rate Of SIS each
The House appropriations committee
concurred with the budget bureau ir
this recommendation, but the House
finally reduced the automobile item tc
$1,000 and, as has been stated cut
the monthly maintenance allotment te
$50, and reduced the motor cycle funf
70 1850. TO be expended at the rate
OF SO per machine each month.