Mount Whitney Lumher Co., fnc.

(The f ollozuing letter by Gilbert E. Morris, superintend.mt of the Department. of Building and Safety, City of Los Angeles, appeared in The LOS ANGELES TIMES 6f Noztember 18 i,n the "Letters to the Editor" columns. It-is reprinted by permissi,on. )

When Los Angeles voters ended the city's l3-storv height-limit regulitions by charter amendmefrt this yeai, they set the gtage for an era of new unprecedented-con- struction. Architects, now unhampered by space and height limitations, have room for individual expression that may well revolutionize local building construction.

All of the new promontories, howevei, will not be cloud-piercing towers. Advances in the science of engi- neering have given the architects new materials and methods of construction as well.

We will soon see buildings with huge arches and domes, others with gracefully suspended roofs, and some with strange-shaped concrete shglls.

In the language of this new engineering technology, we will hear of catenaries, hyperbolic paraboloids, t[in shells, reinforced plastics, prestressed concrete, lift slab, and tilt-up panel construction-each one representing a departure from years of tradition.

This revolutionary new construction must, however, never compromise with safety nor endanger the lives oi our citizens.

Few people realize that the use of new designs and building materials goes hand in hand with a vast research plogram conducted by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.

Many functions of the department that contribute to the safety, the health, and the welfare of the public do not come to the attention of those who are served.

In general the public is only slightly aware that every new building in Los Angeles is required to conform to good and reasonable standards of structural stability- that fire safety, sanitation, earthquake and wind fories, and many other necessary requirements of good constrirction are regulated.

Few appreciate that no residential building is allowed to encroach upon a neighbor's vested right in sunlight, air, and ventilation, and that a property owner is nof allowed to move earth or divert drainage water in a manner that would threaten his neighbor.

, These and many other well-tested regulations have been brought about through the foresight of the Los Angeles Building Department. Through a realistic program of research, the Los Angeles Building Code guides safe technological advance. No good material or system which can be proven strong and sufficiently fireproof is rejected.

Conversely, no product is allowed quick acceptance without research. Systems designed by the novice must be tested in the laboratory rather than in public places. To the Building Department and to the public alike, one of the most satisfying components of progress is safety.

G. E. MORRIS, Superintendent of Building, Los Angeles

NAHB Announces Finol Plqns for Jonuory Convention in Chicogo

Chigago will take over as "homebuilding capital of the ryorldl' January 19, when industry leaders gather there for the 14th annual convention and exposition bf the National

Association of Home industries will join nation at the five day

Builders. Representatives of allied home builders from throughout the meeting, which is expected to be the largest housing show ever held. Total attendance of about 30,000 has been predicted.

A total of 781 exhibit spaces will be used in three convention centers-the Conrad Hilton and Sherman hotels and the Chicago Coliseum-to house the gigantic display of building and home products. More than 75 product classifications will be included in the record-breaking exposition.

The convention program is being streamlined and the number of meetings has been reduced to cut down the number of conflicting sessions. E,mphasis will be on subjects of utmost topical importance, with merchandising and financing sessions expected to draw capacity audiences.

An all-day, "one-day short course in merchandising" will kick-off a series of meetings on marketing and ietting. "Cost Saving Ideas" will be presented ba ten industry leaders, each-of whom will present a tested-idea for savin! $100 per house. "Money and Government" will bring to-- gether representatives of business, industry and government rvith NAHB officials.

Scores of other dramatized presentations, workshop sessions, panel discussions and addresses will cover dozens of other important topics including "design," "ccimmunity facilities," "income taxes," and "land use," and the annual "how-to-do-it circus" will cover construction techniques and application methods.

Manufacturers of building products, preparing for a highly competitive market in 1958, will stress application techniques and other "how-to-use" in,formation to help builders cut time and labor costs in next year's homes. More than 50 of the exhibitors will be demonstrating their wares for the first time at an NAHB show.

Orange.-Authorized was an 18-lot tract south of Vista between Cambridge and Shaffer.