Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-15
BURDEN IMPOSED
UNDER zON|NG LAW
Increased Service Exacted
of Building Inspector; in
Growing City, Is Cited.
BETTER PAY IS URGED
Board of Trade Committee Appeals
to Congress to Provide Force
Adequate Compensation.
BETTER. PAY is URGED

Placing of the many responsible
ties connected with the adminlstra-
ton OF the District of Columbia ION
ing regulations in the hands OF the
municipal building inspection force
was accompanied by the addition Of
but two temporary clerks to lnspec-
tor Healy's staff, although the year
in which the added duties were I'M
rosed set Il record for building IN
Washington and resulted III unprec-
,,Iented burdens on an inspection
force designed to take care or ohlE
the normal construction situation II
was learned today.
The administration of the 2onng
>nw was put up TO the building IN
snector's department In August iS2o.
This law and the regulations pro-
mulgated under it by the District
coming commission entail vast
amount of work in their enforcement
limiting, as they do. the height area
and kind of buildings which may De
erected in certain sections Of the
city, careful check must be made by
Mr.. Healy's men TO see that the pur-
poses of the law are complied with
N plans submitted 70 them for ap-
proyal. This includes examination or
The height measurements proposed
Tor any structure, computation Oh
the total area it will cover In reIa-
ton with the size of the lot and
comparison with coming rules TO see
that special allowances for certain
locations have not been exceeded, ana
passing on the nature OF the buiid-
ing planned to make sure that the
bona tide provisions of the law are
not violated.
Building Boom Unprecedented.
This magnitude of added tasks was
thrust on the building office while 1t
was virtually in the throes of the great
est building boom the city had then
known In 1920 the total valuation OF
construction projects passed on by Mr..
Healy'S two dozen permanent employees
and a few special assistants OF tenn
porary status was more than double the
total for the preceding fiscal year, So
659.452 worth of buildings having been
erected. as compared with s1O,o2e,Sb6
IN 1919.
This building boom has continued with
such vigor that during The fiscal year
1929 (from July /. 1921, to June 80,
1920 s36.197.79S was invested in con-
struction work of a private character in
the District of Columbia. The fiscal
so, 1920, saw $19,025,291 worth of new
buildings erected in the National Capital.
In 1920 the permanent force of twen-
ty-four employees was exactly the same
in number as in 1914. when S9,J1S. At
worth of new buildings was projected
That year, however, a salary increase
raised the budget to S35,590 year for
the total staff, as compared with a
total of SS2,650 the year preceding and
$S1,S30 in 1914.
AS the amount Of building increases
the daily routine OF work in keeping the
city'S development within the linllta'
tons of the building and zoning regu-
lations, it is stated, correspondlnSiy
tial enlargement of the building inSpec-
ton personnel or increments to their
salaries have rot been forthcoming
however.
Relief Asked of Congress.
Builders, realtors. business mel
and civic interests, realizing the i'm
portance of building inspection anC
the burdens under which Mr.. Heal5
and his handwriting force are la
boring, have Joined in a drive to inn
press on Congress the necessity for
providing adequate salaries for the
depa rtment. in order that more com
petent technical employees may he oh
tanned. and, most important of all, re
tanned.
With reference to the extra worl
involved by the coming regulations
the committee on public and private
buildings of the Washington BoarC
of Trade, following an investigation
stated:
TT must be remembered that sine,
August 80, 1920, this department ha
been charged with the administration
of the coming law and the regulation
enacted under authority thereof. l
would be superf1uous to particularize
The slightest acquaintance with tn
purposes of the coming law is suffi
cfent to force the realization of tn
vast amount of work its enforcement
entails. And yet the only additions
assistance the department has bee
granted consists of two young clerk
assigned temporarily from other of
fees.
Growth OF City Stressed.
Washington is no longer a mer
large town. 1t has assumed metropol
itan proportions which, in the yer,
nature of things, must expand. TIL,
day has long passed when one of it.
governmental bureaus should b.
called upon to discharge successful,
ever-increasing obligations, ever
mounting duties, with a corps of EN-
ployeS numerically about the same a
twenty years ago and the salaries o
whom are ridiculously inappropriate
for the character of work performed
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