Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-26
District Commissioners Told
Service Not as Good as
1t Should Be.
URGES SUPERINTENDENT
FOR FIVE SUBDIVISIONS
Readiustment of Fees and New
Code of Building Laws Also
Recommended.

A thorough-goirg reorganization of
the Office of inspector of buildings and
of any other inspecting and examining
boards indirectly connected with it was
recommended to the District Commits
sioners today in i5-page report by the
Bureau of Efficiency.
The District of Columbia is not re-
ceiving the building inspection service
to which it is entitled, the report states.
Two reasons are assigned for this, first
that the Office is not well organized and
second that reasonable minimum quail
fications have not been prescribed in
selecting personnel.
Briefly, the reorganization called for
sets up a new position to be known as
the superintendent of inspection. Under
him will come five divisions, building
inspection, electrical inspection, plumb
ing inspection, elevator inspection and
steam boiler inspection. An entirely
new code of laws is called for divided
into subheads to be enforced by the
various divisions of the new department.
Changes Recommended.
Accompanying this change it is
recommended that the present practice
of assigning to the work of inspecting
buildings men who receive their salary
from the contractor be forthwith dis
continued and that all employees of
these departments receive regular an
nual salary from the District of Column
bia; that the schedules uf inspection
fees be revised so as to provide sufficient
revenue to cover the cost of the service
rendered by the Inspection Bureau;
that an assistant corporation counsel
be assigned exclusively to the legal
work of the bureau; that regulations
governing the placing and maintaining
g v."-'S be eliminated from the building
49, aud incorporated in the police
regulations; that responsibility for in
spectlon of fire escapes and related
matters be transferred from the build
ing inspectors Office to the fire
marShal's Office
The report points out that during the
nScal year 1929 the building inspectors
ONCE received in fees SIS, 627. so and its
total expenses were SIPS. O88.82.
the report calls for a new law set
tlng up board to examine electricians
ana prohibiting any one except a
licensed electrician from engaging in
wiring houses or doing other commercial
electrical work. The inspectors of cleo
trical wiring who now work with the
electrical department would be trans
TERED from that department as the
nucleus OF the electrical inspection diyi-
sion. -
Recommend License Law.
The inspector of plumbing would he
placed in a position equal to and
independent of the building Inspector
ana responsible to the superintendent
of inspection. e'''
1t Is recommended that a law he
passed giving the District Commits
Sloners the authority to revoke the
licenses Of registered plumbers.
In setting up the elevator inspection
DIVISION the report states: Increased
personnel is needed to make nossfble
the inspection required bv law and
regulations. Less than one-haf of the
perlodlc inspections required have beer
made IN the past. Freight elevators
nave been given very little attention
some OF them have not been insnecteC
In years, although the regulations
prescribe semi-annual inspection. This
situation is deplorable and should be
[emeoleo at once. There are a large
NUMBER OF elevators in the CITY hoft
passenger and freight. which do M,
TONS" 'eui"'
Force Too Small Now.
Speaking about steam boiler insnec-
Caon, the report states that the work
OF this division is now assigned tn one
inspector, who receives a fee of IS foI
each inspection, and that it is a phvsi.
cal mpossibility for him to cover tbs
neIo. The plan sets up a division IL
consist of an inspector. two assista nj
inspectors and a record clerk. All ac.
cloents and complaints. involving dan.
gerous boilers would be investigate
personally by the inspector of steam
boilers.
Speaking about. the recent McCror,
disaster, the report says: 1T NAV b.
found desirable to adopt regulation
recurring the periodic inspection O,
boilers and tanks which are not COW
cred by the present regulations. II
this event the personnel of the division
should be increased in proportion b
the amount of additional work"
The report urges that the key posi-
ton OF superintendent of inspection b.
filled as soon as the services of ;
properly qualified engineer can be OBJ
tanned Under his direction, it states
the proposed organization could be eff
fected in accordance with an orderl'
program of his own making.
The report is signed by R. J. Queenil
and d. P. Evans, investigators of tn
bureau.