Several University authorities will appear before the Cambridge Board of Appeals this afternoon to defend Harvard's non-conformity with the building code since the end of the war-time exemption period.

Under Cambridge building laws, wood wainscotting may not be used in an area of over 5,000 square feet without being made non-inflammable. In public rooms of the Graduate Commons on Everett Street the University has violated this rule, according to Stephen F. Spencer, Cambridge building commissioner.

Current Drive

The action of the commission is part of a current drive to "correct" war-time exemptions, Spencer said yesterday. Irving B. Parkhurst, director of Buildings and Grounds, believed, however, that "there would be no difficulty" at the hearing today.

The drive will also examine other institutions and private corporations in the city during the next month, including Rindge Tech, Spencer added.

Last week the Board of Appeals granted Radcliffe the use of 55 Garden Street as a dormitory for two more years ending September, 1952.