been complied with, such public officer shall issue to the owner or lessee of the premises wherein such booth is situated a certificate stating that the provisions of sections two hundred and nine and two hundred and ten of this article have been complied with.

§ 213. Portable booth for temporary exhibitions. Where motion pictures are exhibited daily for not more than one month, or not oftener than three times a week, in educational or religious institutions or bona fide social, scientific, political or athletic clubs, a portable booth may be substituted for the booth required in sections two hundred and nine and two hundred and ten of this article. Such booth shall have a height of not less than six feet and an area of not less than twenty square feet and shall be constructed of asbestos board, sheet steel of no less gauge than twenty-four; or some other approved fireproof material. Such portable booth shall conform to the specifications of section two hundred and ten of this article with reference to windows and door, but not with reference to vent flues. The floor of such booth shall be elevated above the permanent support on which it is placed by a space of at least one-half inch, sufficient to allow the passage of air between the floor of the booth and the platform on which the booth rests, and the booth shall be insulated so that it will not conduct electricity to any other portion of the building.

214. Exemption and requirements for miniature cinematograph machines. The above sections, two hundred and nine, two hundred and ten, to hundred and eleven, two hundred and twelve and two hundred and thirteen, referring to permanent and portable booths, shall not apply to any miniature motion picture machine in which the maximum electric current used for the light shall be three hundred and fifty watts. Such miniature machine shall be operated in an approved box of fireproof material constructed with a fusible link or other approved releasing device to close instantaneously and completely in case of combustion within the box. The light in said miniature machine shall be completely inclosed in a metal lantern box covered with an unremovable roof.

*

215. Inspection; certificate for portable booths and miniature cinematograph machines. Before moving pictures shall be exhibited with a portable booth, under section two hundred and thirteen of this article, and before a miniature machine without

*So in original.

a booth shall be used as prescribed in section two hundred and fourteen of this article, there shall be obtained from the appro priate authority, as defined in section two hundred and ten of this article, a certificate of approval.

216. Penalty for violating this article. The violation of any of the provisions of this article shall constitute a misdemeanor. This act shall not apply to cities which have local laws or ordinances now in force which provide for fireproof booths of any kind for moving picture machines or apparatus.

CHAP. 349, LAWS 1913.

AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to violations of provisions of the labor law, the industrial code, the rules and regulations of the industrial board of the department of labor and the orders of the commissioner of labor.

1275. Violations of provisions of labor law; the industrial code; the rules and regulations of the industrial board of the department of labor; orders of the commissioner of labor. Any person who violates or does not comply with any provision of the labor law, any provision of the industrial code, any rule or regulation of the industrial board of the department of labor, or any lawful order of the commissioner of labor; and any person who knowingly makes a false statement in or in relation to any application made for an employment certificate as to any matter required by articles six and eleven of the labor law to appear in any affidavit, record, transcript or certificate therein provided for, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished, except as in this chapter otherwise provided, for a first offense by a fine of not less than twenty nor more than fifty dollars; for a second offense by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than two hundred and fifty dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days or by both such fine and imprisonment ; for a third offense by a fine of not less than two hundred and fifty dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than sixty days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

§ 2. Section twelve hundred and seventy-three of such chapter is hereby repealed.

EDUCATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION METHODS AND

UNIFORM STATE FIRE MARSHAL LAWS.

By THOMAS J. AHEARN, New York.

Fire Marshal of the State of New York.

(Read at the Convention of International Association of Fire Engineers, New York, September 1-6, 1913.)

At the outset of my remarks I desire to express to you my sincere thanks for the invitation to address the International Assotion of Fire Engineers. The subject of fire prevention and fire protection is an exhaustive one; it would require unlimited time to go thoroughly into the many interesting branches. It is therefore my intention to briefly synopsis the many interesting features pertaining to fire prevention and with your permission place the details of my discourse on file in the minutes of your meeting here to-day for future reference.

The only means of reaching the people on the necessity of Fire Prevention is to bring to their minds in language which is most resolute and even terrifying, the dangers which threaten them. It is hard to realize, when reading newspaper reports of some great conflagration, quite what it all means; it seems so far away, entirely remote, it is passed over and forgotten. Suddenly there comes a day when the fire menace appears in all its lurid horror; then the lack of knowledge of the means of fire prevention makes itself manifest, and the total lack of life saving apparatus is then taken up too late to save the hundreds of souls which have perished in the flames.

Fire Prevention or Preventive measures against fire directly bears upon the causes which must be divided into "Hazards." This term probably expresses the meaning better than any other word in the English vocabulary. The "Hazards" can be said to be divided into the ordinary hazard, the special hazard, incendiarism, and the hazard caused by carelessness; it also would embrace the educational features and building laws, with other regulations which deal with preventive measures.

In considering construction, one must not confound fire resisting

with non-combustible material. Fire resisting construction must first be properly planned or designed along the lines above mentioned, which in itself will constitute fire protective features of importance which should be found in public buildings, theatres, schools, etc. To be really fire resisting, no building can be considered such, unless backed up with auxiliary or automatic firefighting equipment; without this, fire resisting qualities of any construction must be considered questionable.

The causes of fire are too many to enumerate. This would include at least thirty common causes which are generally ascribed in accounts of fires throughout the United States, yet does not cover the hundreds of unknown causes from which fires originate. The last mentioned would be considered as common hazards; the first mentioned under the head of special hazard, which would include fire dangers from lightning, fireworks, explosives, petroleum, gasoline, etc.

The

A campaign of education along these lines should be instituted in every factory and public building, theatre, or places where people live or congregate. Publicity through the State and National Press Association, also by lectures, by speakers, and by timely news articles pertaining to Fire Prevention and Fire Protection should be spread broadcast throughout the country. theory and practice of Fire Prevention must be recognized as a scientific study. This might be indicated by a special course of instruction on these subjects which is offered by one of the celebrated schools in Chicago, another in St. Louis, and several other schools throughout the United States. This particular subject, however, is yet in its infancy. The curriculum should include the fundamental subjects, such as mathematics, physics, electricity, and applied mechanics, which must be necessary as a foundation for any engineering training. Particular attention should be given also to general construction, architectural designing, industrial and engineering chemistry. These educational features, if carried to the proficiency with which other subjects are handled, should result beneficially to coming generations.

I would suggest that the Board of Education in every school should improvise text books, which would result in instructions being given to the children of our public schools of the dangers

arising from what may apparently seem to be trifling carelessness, and yet may be productive of great loss. If the warning against fire-causing carelessness is properly disseminated among the children of our public schools there is no question but that it would have a lasting effect upon their impressionable minds, and would not only be beneficial in their early days but in the future.

It has been shown that the annual loss per capita in the United States is seven and one-half times as much as that in European countries; in other words, the loss per capita in the United States is $2.51, in Europe $0.33. The difference is due to the fact that in Europe there is better construction, less carelessness, and increased responsibility, and better education on the subject of fire prevention. Fire prevention is taught throughout all the public schools in Europe. They are taught to look askance at the person or corporation having loss by fire. The result is, that the person having a fire in Europe is looked upon as a criminal possibility. In some countries he is immediately investigated, in others he is made to pay the cost of the extinguishment of the fire and the expense of the fire department's turning out. We must therefore change the attitude of the people of the United States toward the man who has a fire, and no make him an object of pity but rather place him in the position of a man who has offended against the common welfare by placing in jeopardy the lives and property of his neighbors.

The appalling loss of life that occurs in this country each year by reason of fire is brought about by the interior stairways being cut off by either smoke or flame and in hundreds of cases just about the time of the discovery of the fire, and, with no means of escape, they are trapped and, consequently, in many cases, lost.

The subject of the means and adequacy of escape from buildings is then one that should be given careful consideration. Interior stairways we do not in any way recommend as a means of escape at the time of fire. We strongly recommend in connection. with fire escapes that the tower fire escape shall be erected where practicable; that exits should be provided to an iron balcony outside of the building and that an entrance be provided from said balcony to fire escape tower.

The State Fire Marshal Department has a specification for an exterior fire escape which we recommend on buildings where it is