Evening star., 1947-03-02
Commissioners
Wi||keepI' Minds
Open onFireAct
Sympathetic Hearing
Promised Building
Owners Tuesday
By Henry A. Muslin

The Commissioners are keeping
their minds open" on the question
Of whether the Districts fire safety
regulations should be made less
strict or their enforcement post
poned further.
Engineer Commissioner Gordon r.
Young made this clear last night as
the board prepared to receive recon-
mendations regarding the regula-
tions from the Building Owners and
Managers Association.
IF there is any merit in what the
owners say, ] for one will give them
sympathetic consideration" Gen.
Young said. The last thing we
want to do is harm anybody's busi-
ness. But they've got to convince
me first"
Board to Meet Tuesday.
The Commissioners are scheduled
to hear the association at their
regulard board meeting at 1890
am. Tuesday. Among its repre-
sentatives will be T. T. Inlay, pres
ident, who last week said that abso-
lutte enforcement of the fire laws
would cost owners up to 500 200 900
and force Is per cent of them into
bankruptcy.
Rufus S. Lusk, secretary of the
owners-managers group, said yes
terday they would offer the Com
missioners seven or eight recon-
mended changes to the regulations
embodied in the so-called Egress
Act. The act, actually series of
amendments to the District build
ing code, was to have taken effect
last March 8.
Property owners, however, OBJ
tanned a hearing last December and
convinced the Commissioners that
labor and material shortages pre-
vented immediate changes. The
Commissioners put off enforcement
until July l.
Recheck Ordered.
Representatives of local building,
real estate, restaurant, hotel and
other interests were told at the
hearing to submit suggestions before
the end of February. This was done
though the same men were given
the opportunity to make such sug-
gestions at two hearings while the
laws were in the making.
Meantime, building inspectors and
Fire Department officials had found
that 1858 of $500 hotels, apart
ments, hospitals, restaurants and
other public meeting places checked
were in violation of the regulations.
To determine just how serious these
violations were, the Commissioners
ordered a recheck early In January.
Building and fire inspectors began
a detailed survey, scheduled to carry
through June. In a progress report
last week, covering about Is per
cent of the structures slated for ex-
animation, it was revealed that an
other 400 buildings had violations.
This brought the total to 2,128.
Cost Found Excessive.
The inspectors have been provid-
ing owners of the buildings covered
with itemized lists of their faults.
Inspections Department officials ad-
NIT the cost of making corrections
would be excessive in some cases.
However, they say an "out" exists
for the owners in the Appeals Board,
a f1ve-member panel created toI
grant exceptions to the regulations
in cases of undue hardship
In announcing intent of his group
to recommend regulations changes
to the Commissioners last week, one
building owners representative said
that almost everyone of the 20 cases
appealed to the board had been de-
MED. It's chairman, J. Warren Stew
art, of the Inspections Department,
said yesterday 10 appeals had been
considered. OF these, he disclosed
only three were turned down en-
tirely, while the other 16 were de
MED in part"
Serving with Mr.. Stewart are
Capt. r. A. Warfield, deputy fire
marshal; Howard F. HUMPHREYS
real estate representative; Nelson
Jefress, builders representative, and
f. Phil1in Schreier on orcbitoot