Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-14

Washington, Aug. l4.-PreSentlHS aH
array of figures and facts more as
founding than any magazine article on
graft and boodling, the international
Society of State and Municipal Build
ing Commissioners and Inspectors has
collected data on the annual fire losses
of the United States in the following
plea for reform:
"People are awakening to the reali-
cation that there has been much graft
and administration in civic, state
and general governments, and uni
versal cleaning up is the result. They
were brought to see the real condition
of things by propaganda of reform
preached in the press. When once they
saw it the cure was quickly forthcom-
ing. Without the press they would still
know nothing about it and the remedy
would not have been applied. The
press is the real educator of the people.
1t is beginning to preach the better
construction Of our buildings. 1t Is
high time that that propaganda be be-
gun.
Fire Losses immoral.
"Our losses by fire are awful, they
are positively immoral. And the peo-
Pile seem to neither know nor care
about the matter, their apathy, their
ignorance is appalling. For generations
they have built Of wood and that mode
of construction has become a habit.
once upon time it was economical to-
build so; now it is worse than extrava- i
CANT, it is foolish and criminal. Thirty
years ago wood was cheap and brick
and tile were expensive and steel near
ly prohibitive; today wood is over $50
per cent dearer than it was then, and
the cost of fireproof materials Is such,
that the ultimate cost of a well-built.
fireproof store, church, office building
or house is less than If it were built
of wood The first cost even is seldom
more than 10 per cent greater than the
finder box construction. The deteriora-
ton in value of a fireproof building is
only at the rate Of one ninth Of one per
cent a year; that of an ordinary wood
joist and stud partition building is 4
per cent a year. Besides not only the
repairs, DuL lIlG COSl VI AAieAAlsSAAcAAASS -
a fireproof building is infinitely less
than on an ordinary one. 1t Is also
element proof, sound-proof. vermin-
proof, warmer in winter, and cooler IN
summer, and in every respect vastly
superior to all else. Only to the shy
ster, the Buddenseiks, who build to sell
quickly, and who care not whit Tor
the life or property Of any other man
is it now profitable to build of wood.
No Progress in Building.
The enforced economy Of our grand
parents and the folly of our own gen.
Grafton are now costing us enormously
in the loss Of life and Of property by
fire. The figures are inspiring. In
1904, 6,672 people were burned-an av-
erage of eighteen fatalities thru fire
every day in the year! We spend mil
lions OF dollars every year in futile eff
forts to cure the evil which we should
strive rather to prevent, and whose
prevention would not cost US nearly
as much as the ineffective cure. We
improve our fire departments and in
crease our water supply, yet the losses
are ever augmented. Our present ra-
ito is nine lives lost by fire every year
for every 100000 Of population: in 1900
the ratio was eight, and in 1890 only
five per 100000 people were burned!
Nearly as many people are burned to
death every year as are killed by rail-
roads, generally believed to be the
most fruitful source Of fatal accidents.
Billion in Six Years.
We have burned UP $1.000,000, 900
worth of property in six years. Think
of it, one thousand millions of dollars!
No country on earth, even Japan, that
builds largely of paper and bamboo,
can show such a pro rata loss by fire.
Our fire losses are equal to tax Of
e.. IT,