Evening star., 1923-07-07

several constructive measures of
Importance to the owners and man
ayers of business properties were
taken at the sixteenth annual con-
Vention of the National Association
OF Building Owners and Managers re-
Gently held in Atlantic City. Among
the most important were:
announcement of the new building
planning service recently inaugu
rated by the association. by which
office buildings i'm the future may be
constructed SO that the maximum
rental space is obtained and efficient
management and operation are possi-
Bile.
Limitation of the height of fire.
proof office buildings in the business
diEtrict by ordinance was attacked by
the building owners and managers.
Elimination of May l lease expira-
tions was proposed by the suggestion
that building managers stagger their
lease expirations so that the burden
of moving. selling space, etc. will not
fall on one day of the year.
Taxes Reflect In Rent.
The building owners and managers
declared that cities and municipaf-
ties We're now on bond jag and
that the promiscuous issuance of tax
free securities was one of the large
contributing factors to the increas-
ing tax rates. which are reflected di-
rectly in rents to the tenants. The
more general application of tax par
~ticipating clauses in all leases on
office building space and percentage
rentals for stores was advocated.
Building owners and managers
were told by experts in the field of
cooperative apartments that this
form of financing and building was
the solution of the housing shortage
of America.
The Importance of newspapers as
means of assisting a rental cam
,paign through display advertising
WAS pointed out in two prize winning
papers presented at the convention.
Saving of Conl.
Boiler room economy was declared
to be matter of national Importance
in view of the fact that the annual
waAage of coal would fill train of
coal cars which would encircle the
globe. with 5000 miles to spare.
President Earle ShultZ of Chicago.
who was reelected to serve another
term, announced the work of the
building planning service. which
has already affected economies in
construction of buildings, improved
creased the amount of the space in
three separate instances. Plans for
carrying out the new service on a
broader scale were included in Presi-
dent Shultz's announcement, in which
he declared that at this time of high
building costs it was important that
buildings eliminate the high cost of
guessing" as to the probability of
obtaining a suitable income.
This could be done. he pointed out.
through the building planning serv-
Ice. which has received the indorse-
ment of investment bankers, archi-
tecSs and building owners. President
Shultz made a report of the work of
the building planning service before
meeting of the architects at the
home and city beautiful exposition
held on the Million Dollar Pier in At
lantic City.
The attempt to limit the height of
buildings was characterized by Col.
Gordon Strong of Chicago as an
effort to abridge constitutional rights
to private property and constituting
the taking away of property with
out due process of law. The conven-
tion went on record as upholding the
view of Col. Strong.
The elimination of May l lease
eXpirations was championed by Rus