Evening star., 1942-12-03
Senate Action
Near on New
Fire Safety Bill
Committee Expected
To Report Measure
Within Few Doys

currence here of Boston's night club
fire tragedy, the Senate District
Committee will report favorably to
the Senate within a few days the
House bill giving the Commissioners
broader power to impose safety rules
on places Of public assembly and
institutional buildings.
Before acting on the measure late
yesterday, Chairman McCarran
served notice on the Commissioners,
fire and police officials that they
must eliminate, without buck pass
ing any hazardous conditions that
may be found to exist in public
places.
Three Other Bills Approved.
The committee also approved
three other local bills passed by the
House recently:
To permit the Minimum Wage and
Industrial Safety Board to suspend
during the war the law limiting the
work week of women in the District
to eight hours day, or 48 hours
week.
To enable the Board of Examiners
to fix uniform hours for barber
shops, an da day on which shops will
remain closed, based on the prefer
ence of the majority. Exceptions
could be made. however, to allow
any shop owner to remain open on
the uniform closing day in order to
comply with his religious tenets by
closing on another day.
To simplify the process of clearing
title to property sold for delinquent
taxes. When the original owner,
seeking to redeem the property,
cannot find the person who bought
In the property at tax sale, the title
may be cleared by depositing the
required amount with the District
government, to be held in case the
holder of the tax sale certificate
later makes a claim.
McCarran Reports Complaints.
Senator McCarran opened the
conference by telling District Off
cials he had telephone complaints
since the Boston fire, suggesting
that similar hazards exist in Wash
ington.
Commissioner Mason said the
Commissioners on Monday had Or
dered a canvas and inspection of
all public gathering places.
Asked by Senator McCarran if
he knew of any places here with
inf1ammable decorations, Commits
sioner Mason said he thought there
were some
Fire Chief Porter suggested that
decorations in public halls be
changed after the inspector had
made his visit. AS an illustration.
he said, groups holding banquets In
hotels sometimes provide their own
decorations, such as lighted candles
on tables. As further example. he
said. around Halloween some places
are decorated with lighted pumpkin
shells, surrounded by corn stalks.
He said these make an incinerator
out of q place"
The fire chief added, however.
that you can't pass a law to stop
panics." He said people sometimes
break into a panic at outdoor gath
erings, where fire Is not factor.
Assails Buck Passing.
Senator McCarran's admonition to
local officials to avoid buck passing"
in eliminating any hazards that may
exist came during a discussion of
how private clubs are established.
Police Inspector Callaghan had
pointed out that if place is estab-
lished as a private club, it is not sub
ject to the same degree Of inspection
as public place.
Building Inspector Robert H. Davis
said his Office merely issues the oc-
cupancy permit required by zoning
regulations, but for the past nine
months has been cooperating with
police officials in checking applica-
tions for such occupancy permits to
determine whether they are private
clubs or public places.
Fire Bill Delayed.
The bill broadening the power of
the Commissioners to make fire pro-
lection regulations for public places
passed the House last year. Senator
McCarran said it has been delayed
because it contained a provision that
might have led to a monopoly in fire
alarm system installations. The
provision in question would have
allowed the Commissioners to re-
quire buildings to be connected with
the municipal fire alarm system.
The Commissioners yesterday re-
commended that the fire alarm sys-
tenn requirement be taken out of
the bill, along with another amend
ment to simplify the definition of
boarding houses. The Committee
made these changes before approv-
ing the bill.