Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 34 Part 1.djvu/187

 rirriinmrn cousnsss. sm. 1. cu. ans. iam. 157 CHAP. 207 3.—An Act To create a board for the condemnation of insanitary May 1.1906· buildings in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes. [3* ul . Public, No. 138. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United [ ] States of America in Congress assembled, That there be, and is- hereby, C,fj!5‘j,’,lj}°· created in and for the District of Columbia a board to be known as the in- Y gs board for the condemnation of insanitary buildings in the District of sig?tl2ai%d?°nd°mn’ Columbia, to consist of the assistant to the Engineer Commissioner in M~°‘“b‘”S °*· charge of buildings, the health officer, and the inspector`of buildings of said District, and to have jurisdiction and authority to examine into the sanitary condition of all buildings in said District, to condemn those buildings which are in such insanitary condition as to endanger the health or lives of the occupants thereof or of persons living in the vicinity, and to cause all buildings to be put into sanitary condition or to be vacated, demolished, and removed, as may be required by the provisions of this Act. Said board may authorize and direct the per- Duties. formance of any of the ministerial duties of said board by officers, _ agents, employees, contractors, and employees of contractors duly detailed or employed by the Commissioners of said District for that purpose. Sai board, the members thereof, and all persons acting P¤~versunder• its authority, may, between the hours of eight o’clock antemeridianand live o’clock postmeridian, peaceably enter into and upon any and all lands and buildings in said District for the purpose of inspecting the same. Said board shall report its operations to the Com- R°P°"· missioners of the District of Columbia from time to time as said Commissioners direct. Said Commissioners shall furnish said board such D"“*“°* “·"”*“"”“‘*’~ assistance as may be required for the proper conduct of its work, by details from various departments and offices of the government of said · — District. Sec. 2. That a majority of the board for the condemnation of insani- Q“°"“‘“‘ tary buildings shall constitute a quorum, and a majority vote of the members present shall be necessary to condemn any building under this Act. lVhenever for any reason the health officer is unable to act S“”°‘°““°°°· as a member of said board one of the deputy health officers shall act as a member thereof in place of said health officer, and whenever for any reason the inspector of buildings is unable to act as a member of said board the principal assistant inspector of buildings shall act as a member thereof in place of said inspector of buildings; but no person Rcscrimon. shall act as a member of said board who has any property interests, direct or indirect, in his own right or through relatives or kin, in the building the sanitary condition of which is under consideration. The deputy health officer and the principal assistant inspector of buildings, when acting as members of the board for the condenmation of insanitarv buildings in the l)istrict of Columbia, shall have all authority and duties which are vested by this Act in the health officer and the inspector of buildings, respectively, when acting in the same manner. _ Sec. 3. That said board for the condemnation of insanitary buildings I“SP°°“°“· °*°· be, and is hereby, authorized to investigate, through personal inquiry and inspection by the members thereof, and thropgh inquiry and inspection by officers, agents, and employees appoint or detailed for that purpose, into the sanitary condition of any building or part of a building in said District, except such as are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States. lf any building or part of a building be found, as the result of such investigation, to be in such insanitary condition as to endanger the health or the lives of the occupants thereof or of persons living in the Vicinity, said board shall cause a notice to Notice be served on each owner or part owner of such building requiring him ‘to show cause within not less than twenty days, exclusive of Sundays and legal holidays, from the date of the service of said notice why such building or part of building should not be condemned. And if within t,£{'*€'°‘°°¤d°m¤¤· the time specified in said notice no cause be shown sufficient in the