Evening star., 1946-12-27
Landlords Back
Suspension Of
D. {. Fire Rules
Enforcement Delay
Is Urged on Account
Of Material Scarcity

Washington landlord represent-
atives today lined up solidly behind
the proposal Of the Commissioners
to suspend temporarily, because of
materials shortage, enforcement of
the tight fire safety regulations
which became effective last March 8.
They also served notice at a public
hearing at the District Building that
they would later attack certain
of the new requirements as unneces-
sary.
Sole opponent of suspended en-
forcement was Fire Chief Clement
Murphy, who argued that blanket
moratorium would enable many
owners to put OF compliance when
materials actually could be obtained.
He suggested appointment of a
committee to survey availability of
materials and attempt to determine
which, if any, of the regulations
could be met under present con-
ditions.
An Hour of Testimony.
The Commissioners took the mat
ter under advisement after about an
hour of testimony and after asking
the landlord spokesmen to submit
as early as possible any changes
they would recommend in the
regulations.
In their announcement. calling
the hearing, the Commissioners said
they are faced with suspending
temporarily enforcement of the rules
or OF attempting to close up 80 per
cent of the city's hospitals and 60
per cent of its hotels.
They said they doubted whether
the latter course would be in the
public interest and, even if it were,
whether it would stand court chal-
lenge.
Spokesman for the landlord groups
included Joseph McGarraghy, gen.
eral counsel of the Washington Ho-
tel Association; Rufus S. Lusk, Sec
retary of the Building Owners and
Managers Association of Metropoli-
tan Washington; Charles j. Rush
OF the Washington Real Estate
Board, Robert j. Wilson, the WASH
ington Restaurant Association; Paul
j. Miller of the Washington Guest
House Association and Leon l.,
Sclawy of the District Housing Op-
orators, Inc.
Stand Pipe Case Cited.
Spokesman for Emergency, Gar
field and Homeopathic Hospitals
said they were attempting all COM
pliance possible with the fire safety
rules but generally supported
temporary suspension of enforce
ment on grounds of material short
age.
i Chief Murphy told the hearing Of
a case in which a hotel indicated
inability to obtain stand pipe as re-
!: Quired under the regulations, adding
that investigation by the fire mar
shal revealed the equipment could
be obtained in Baltimore. He said
in cases such as this enforcement
, should not be postponed.
Mr.. Rush told the Commissioners
that stand pipes, according to re-
ports reaching him, had not been
used at all in the La Sale Hotel
fire in Chicago several months ago
and were ineffective in the recent
Winecof Hotel disaster in Atlanta,
Outlets at Various Floors.
i Stand pipes are devices to which
flre hose ca-i be connected at street
level and which have outlets at
various floors for hose connections.
They thereby eliminate raising long
hose lines to upper floors of burning
buildings.
Guest houses are operating here
under temporary fire regulations
approved by the Commissioners for
the duration of the war emergency,
Mr.. Miller pointed out. He sup
ported the moratorium on the new
fire rules until November l and
suggested that the temporary guest
house rules be terminated at that
time also.
The regulations in question were
adopted under authority given the
Commissioners in the so-called
Egress Act of 1912 designed to pro-
tect persons in buildings frequented
by large gatherings. The act re-
quires installation and maintenance
of means of egress, guide signs and
lights, stand pipes, fire extinguishers,
alarm gongs, alarm stations and
such other appliances as the Com
mlslsoners may deem necessary"