Barrett Hanawalt Tells of Shingle Legislation Situation in So. California

Mr. Barrett Hanawalt, president of the Hanawalt Spaulding Company of Los Angeles, and Chairman of the Special Legislative Committee of the Los Angeles Hoo-Hoo Club, has made a survey of the situation in California in regard to the recently enacted and some of the proposed antiwooden shingle legislation.

Mr. Ilanawalt outlines the situation as follows:

The passage of an ordinance by the city of Berkeley practically butlawing wooden shingles in that city was noted in Los Angeles and for a time, there was a possibility that the City Council of Los Angeles would be asked to enact a measure similar to the one adopted in Berkeley. The Los Angeles Lumbermen's Club, the California Retail Lumbermen's Association; Southern California Retail Lumbermen's Association. ahd the California Redwood Association at once joined forces and organized, a special legislative committee of which the writer rvas appointed chairman to handle the situation and to prevent, if possible, the passage in Los Angeles of unjust discriminatory legislation. ,, -

The special committee interviewed Fire Chief Scott, Chief fnspector of Buildings Backus and members of the City Council and were cordially and sympathetically received. These officials told the committee that the city government of Los Angeles r,r'as only desirous of reducing fire hazards and desired to penalize no industry, nor any home owners or builders. The members of the committee expressed to these officials the hearty sympathy the shingle industry has for all efiorts toward fire prevention, and the Los Angeles city officials agreed that before a building ordinance changing the specifications for roofs in Los Angeles was prepared or adopted, the shingle industry would be called into conference to assist in preparing the fire prevention measure so that the ordinance would reduce fire hazards and at the same time be fair to the lumber and all other industries. As the matter stands today, there is no antishingle ordinance being prepared nor is there any ordinance of this kind before the Citv Council.

Our large and diversified stock enableg ug.to give unusual sentice even on the most varied and difficult orders.

The reports reaching Los Angeles of the Berkeley fire were, in so far as they cohcerned the inflamability of shingle roofs, misleading, and yet these reports gave rise to some discussion preparatory to the introdnction of an anti-shingle ordinance in the Los Angeles City Council. It is therefore pertinent to set forth briefly some of the facts concerning the Berkeley Fire.

Wooden roofs did not start the fire. Brush and grass fires, fanned by a 65 mile an hour gale were the primary causes, an inadequately equipped fire department, with an unusually low water pressure were by no means a secondary cause of its rapid spread. Had the roofs of the houses but'ned in Berkeley been of other rnaterial than wooden shingles, they would have contributed an equal am_ount toward the spread of the fire ovef the burned area. Good shingle roofs constitute no more of a fire hazard than do roofJ constructed of other material, as classified under class c, rJnderwriters Rating in a conflagration of this magnitude.

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It is significant in this connection that a count of every home directly adjacent to the burned area, (homes which vvere exposed) as in the usual residential fires, reveal the following:

Houses undamaged on immediate edge of fire, shingle roofs 84 per cent to 85 per cent; other materials 14 per cent to 15 per cent; total 98 per cent to 100 per cent.

If any city wants fireproof roofs, it is a simple matter to specify Class B or better, Underwriters Rating, which will give an absolutely fire proof roof, such as metal, slate, tile, or asbestos, but unless cities specify such roofs in any ordinance they will have a more or less inflamable roof, such as is specified by the Underwriters in Class C specifications as follows: "Roofs that carry and communicate fire-possess a slight flying brand hazard, and require fairly frequent repairs and rehewals to maintain fire resisting qualities.

All roofing materials, other than those merely temporary, cost more than double what wooden shingles cost, taking into account the life of the material. A very low average roof covering'requires ten square of 10"x10" area each for dwelling. With, as will be required in the city of Berkeley, 700 houses to rebuild it will cost the property owners, $1,200,000 over and above the cost of wood shingles, during the life of these same shingles, using the cheapest type o1 other matbrials, approved by the National Board.

If any city should pass an ordinance prohibiting the use of wooden shingles, there rvill be, as a direct result of this ordinance, a considerable additional charge to the home builders. If a real fire proof roof covering is required, such as is specified under Underrvriters Class B roofing, this cost to the same home builder rvill be more than doubled. Should you require a real fire resistive roof, you canhot secure one by specifying in an-ordinance "Class C, or Better" jn order to secure this result.

It is up to the people of the cities to decide whether the highest charge against property is legitimate insurance, for I have no hesitation in stating that the first charge of Class C is specified, will be entirely thrown awa!, and that cities will not accomplish the purpose for which the expehditure may be undertaken, which is fire protection. Moreover, the insurance companies will not assume part of the expense in the form of lower insurance rates, which has been proven in many cases in the past, because other city governmehts have passed anti-shingle ordinances anticipating lower insurance without gaining the desired result.

Insurance underwriters look upon an adequate water supply as far more important than a building code, -how- evii stringent. Insurance men frahkly admit that residental insurance is the most profitable part of their business, yet the impression is conveyed to the public that the higtr rates are ciused by the hazard of the shingle roof td which they allot but 4O points in a total of 5000 credits.