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At a regular meeting of the City Coco_nell, held April t2th, 1949, there
<br />
<br />Leslie T. Fox, Frar~g N. l±mso±y, Fred A. L~ke, George L. Grimes
<br />~rthur P. Henderson,~ Carl C. Houghton,Jr., James N. Howard, E.
<br />Robie Sturtevant, C. E. Warren,H. Es~l Weiseman, Pearle J. Wilson,
<br />W. Guy Ancell, City Manager.
<br />
<br />Minutes of regular meeting held ~ar~n 2gth, 1949, were read and approved.
<br />
<br /> ~r. Grimes, Chairman of the Committee to whom was referred a communicatio~
<br />from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard asking that the City vacate certain streets and right of way
<br />in t he ~'endell-Neville Home project, recommended that the matter be laid on the table until
<br />the next regular meeting, which recommendation w as concurred in.
<br />
<br />The following comm~aications frm~a the City ~[anager were read:
<br />
<br />let The following letter from the Electrical League of Portsmouth:
<br />
<br /> ~At a meeting of ~he Electrical L~agme of Portsmouth, held on the evening
<br />of March ~, 1~9, the League went on record by unanimous vote to endorse and work for the
<br />enactment cfa new City Electrical Ordinance,
<br /> The present Electrical Ordinance was enacted twenty-nine years ago, and
<br />is not in keeping with the progress that has been made in the electric industry. Today, in
<br />the home, we have, for example, the all-electric kitchen, ~th push button and automatic con-
<br />t~ol; in our~basements or utility rooms, wehave the time-controlled automatic furnace; in
<br />manufacturing plants and work shops we have push buttonm~d electronic controls. These devices
<br />require skilled me~aanics, with the knowledge and experience to insta!! and -maintain them pro-
<br />perly.
<br /> Doctors, lawyers, engineers a~ud pl~abers are not granted license to prac-
<br />tice ~heir profession o r trade in the City until t hey have proven by passing an examination
<br />that they have the proper qualifications. ~gay not electricians?
<br /> Electricity is our best and safest serVant .when properly installed, but
<br />when ~mpr0per!y installed, it then becomes a hazard to life and property.
<br /> The League has in its files the E~ectrical Ordinances from eight of the
<br />largest ~ties in the State. They all require ~a person to q~ali~y for ~cen~e by pas~ing an
<br />exammnatm~n based solely on tha ~les of the National Electric Code~ whmch ms a standard for
<br />electrical installations in t~ United States.
<br /> ~e League also has in its files a model Electrical Ordinance secured
<br />from the National Electrical ~nufacturers Association. This ordinance was selected as the
<br />best out of several hundred submitted, and is endorsed by the International Association of
<br />Electric Inspectors.
<br /> ~e respectfully ask you gentlemen, to have the proper city authorities
<br />go into this matter and draw up a new Electrical Ordinance that will be in accord with the
<br />present day practices. Any assistance or material that the League can offer will be gladly
<br />given.
<br /> ~eague ms young, having been
<br /> ~e would like to state in clo~ing, that the T '
<br />
<br />organized in January of this year, 1949. 0u~aim ms =BETTER~ND ADEQUATE ~IRING", and not to
<br />increase the cost of eleetri'cal work, as stated recently by a local afternoon paper. All the
<br />larger cities in the State have a similar league a~ud they have proven an asset to the communi-
<br />ty~ The membership is composed of persons earning their livelihood in some branch of the eleo
<br />tric Industry, and in no way are we affiliated with any other organization.
<br />
<br />Tours very truly
<br />
<br />Electrical League of or~smouth, Va.
<br />
<br />H.C. Pollard, Secretary-Treasurer
<br />
<br />G.L. Brickell, Vice-C_~miru~mn.~
<br />
<br />Attached -
<br />
<br /> "After reviewing the attached propose~ ordinance which was submitted to
<br />you recently by the Electrical League of Portsmouth, I am of the opinion that it may b e wortk
<br />of consideration.
<br /> The Electrical League of Portsmouth; a fairly new orgmuization, is com~
<br />posed largely of electrical contractors licensed in the City of Portsmouth. The intent of the
<br />proposed ordinance is that the City create a board of electrical examinars ~ao's duty would
<br />be to,ss on t he quslifications of electrical contractors and electrical journeymen, operatin
<br />or plying the electrical trade in the City. The draft is very similar to the Plumbing Code
<br />~nich has been in effect for a n~araber of years.
<br /> At present, as in the past, there is no legal means of denying any per
<br />son the privilege of paying the required license vax and furnishing the necessary bond in or-
<br />der to become an electrical contractor; regardless of their, knowledge or experience in the
<br />electrical trade. A person with little or no electrical training may secure a license to en-
<br />gage in the electrical contracting business just the same as the man who is proficient in the
<br />line of work. The sponsors ~f the proposed ordinance contend that, the issuance by time City
<br />of an electrical contractor s license (tax license) is indicative of the fact that the licen-
<br />see is qualified in the electrical trade.
<br /> Yours very truly,
<br />
<br />G. F. ~atthews, Supt., ~lectrzca~ Deer."
<br />
<br /> ~otion of ~r. Houghton to place the following ordinance on its first
<br />reading, and that the Counc!~ meet on Tuesd~, April 19th for a public hearing on s aid ordi
<br />na~nce, was adopted:
<br />
<br />
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