The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-04
FOR A FIRE MARSHAL
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER ELMER
DEARTH RECOMMENDED
HIS CREATION
IN HIS LAST ANNUAL REPORT
Bill Looking to This End Intro
duced In the LegisIature--Itf Is
Claimed That Such Provision
Would Result In Greatly Reduced
FIRE Losses In the State and Com
sequent Reduction of Premiums.

insurance Commissioner Dearth rec
commended in his last annual report
that a law be passed creating a state
once TO be known as the Estate fire
marshal, whose duty it would be to
thoroughly investigate every fire sus-
peCleo OF being of incendiary origin
oucn measure was introduced in
the house yesterday by Representative
henderson. and was referred to the in
surance committee.
Inc matter is one of interest to ev-
cry insurance man and insurer In the
state as under Its provisions the in
Surance companies, as well as the in
Sured. are protected. The insurance
companies invariably investigate all
suspicious fires, but as they must make
an arrest before testimony can be TAX
en- the matter is usually dropped, I'M
less there Is at hand conclusive proof
OF the origin Of the fire. Under the
proposed law it will be the duty Of the
oIflcer to investigate all fires upon ap-
pIlcat1on by the insurance company.
Massachusetts and other states have
according to the statistic given by the
insurance commissioner. prof1ted large
ly by similar law.
The Dill carries with it an appropria-
ton of $4,000 per year, two-thirds for
the salary Of the fire marshall and
one-th1rd for travelling expenses The
law will put the new office under the
supervision of the state insurance COM
missioner. to whom the marshal will
be responsible In the performance Of
the duties of his office
insurance Commissioner Dearth, dis
cuss1ng the matter, said yesterday:
1T Is safe to say that the existence
OF fire marshal law on the Minnesota
statute books would result In g. de-
crease from rs to 90 per cent In the
annual fire loss Of this state, thereby
meaning a like ratio in the reduction
Of premium rates. which would mean
saying of thousands Of dollars an
nually to the citizens of the state. As
proof of this fact I might mention
some Of the results experienced in Mas
SachusettS operating under a similar
law. During the year 1897 there were
from 80 to SO per cent Of those arrest
ed in that state for incendiarism con-
victed. while for the year previous
scarcely IL per cent were convicted.
"As a further illustration of the ex-
IRENE Importance of such a law
port Of the Massachusetts state 1nsur-
ance commissioner"
Mr.. Dearth then read the following
paragraph. throwing additional light on
the subject:
Previous to the establishment Of the Of
flee OF fire marshal, in the reports of fires
within this commonwealth the origin of from
IS to 80 per cent was stated to be unknown
OF incendary. Last year this was reduced
to a percentage Of Is. Previous to the be-
ginning of the work of the fire marshal the
proportion Of convictions in this common
wealth to reported incendiary and unknown
fires was but one in every 100. During last
year this ratio of convictions was increased
ten-fold. In the year next prior to the
establishment of the above named office IS
were convicted. while in 1896 the convictions
were Sc per cent of the arrests. OF the per-
sons convicted one had set eight fires, two
had set forty fires with loss of 81 500 0G0
and one had set twelve fires with loss of
S10o, 600. Another had collected insurance fiji