Evening star., 1954-06-08
cannot be worked out by the ex-

cannot be worked out by the ex-
listing departments together"
BY a 4-3 vote. they defeated the
motion to centralize District
housing inspection and enforce
ment in a single unit and that
the unit be the Department OF
Licenses and Inspections.
The council had been asked
by the Commissioners to decide
first, whether all housing inspec-
ton should be consolidated and
second. whether the housing unit
should be in health or licenses
and inspections.
Virtually all witnesses at yes
terday'S hearing wanted a cen
tralized housing unit. They diff
fered mainly on who should run
it-and on who was to blame
for the Districts crawling prog
reSs against SlumS.
mo one in our service" wrote
Health Officer Seckinger to
the council, would deny
that something should be done
to change the inflexible and i'm
possible situation that now
exists"
Sees Basic Difference.
On the other side, Joseph j.
ngenfritz, superintendent of in
spections. told the council: mo
code is so perfect it is not SUBJ
ject to Interpretation. There's a
basic difference. They (health
ohicialsl are idealistic. We're
practical. That difference in
thinking starts at the head of
the departments and goes down
to the inspectors and finally re-
suits in confusion"
Mr.. Lowe led of the hear
ing by saying the proposed
reorganization Of housing en-
forcement was prompted by the
fact that general progress has
not been satisfactory"
He said that, after the tene-
ment regulations have been in
effect q year and a half, only
one license has been issued out
of 5000 applications. He also
said the Commissioners decided
last fall to get a housing code
but after eight months the first
draft Of this code has not yet
reached the Code Advisory Com
mittee or the Commissioners.
On housing inspections. he
said the inspections are split
between health and licenses
and inspections. Responsibility
is Splite he said, and the city
lacks an actual thought
through plan" The reorganiza-
ton plan-to put all housing in
spection and enforcement under
licenses and inspection-would
result in a consistent interpre-
tation of the regulations and
would avoid contradictions and
interminable arguments. he
added.
DR.. Seckinger's letter was then
read. He denied he was an
Alexander looking for more
worlds to conquer. He denied
the Health Department has be-
come ethereal or unrealistic in
its attitude on housing"
Cites Star Editorial.
DR.. Seckinger quoted from a
Star editorial. without naming
it. The Star urged the Com
missioners to give the Depart
ment of Licenses and Inspec-
tions full responsibility for all
housing inspections.
Forgive them, they know not
what they do" commented DR.
Seckinger. MAY they see the
error of their ways before 1t is
too late"
Other witnesses, pro and con
DIR. Frederick C. Heath, acting
health director-He saw more
disadvantages than advantages
in putting all housing inspection
in Licenses and Inspections. He
said health inspectors transferred
to the other agency would be re-
moved from the influence of pub
lie health engineers and would
'lose public health insight and
consciousness"
william H. Cary, jr., director
of public health engineering
The housing code is not simple
to write but is coming along,
Asked about friction between
health and building inspectors.
he said some building inspectors
had been transferred from their
work on the tenement house in
spection teams but he was not
"aware Of outright friction"
DR.. Huntington williams, COM
missioner Of health in Baltimore,
Md.-Health inspectors are "ori-
ented" to look at their job from
the viewpoint of protecting peo-
pie. He was asked If standards
could be set up that a layman
inspector could understand. He
said no to that because health