Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-07-06
Two Radical Needs.

1t was noted at the time of the recent
fire and earthquake horrors in San Fran
cisco that certain English papers took
occasion to warn British insurance con-
panies against investments in America,
that land of sudden calamities."
Americans have so long been want to
look on Themselves as a chosen people
and their land as one of special promise
that this foreign point of view seem5 TO
them almost sacrilegious. Certainly,
however, the records would seem to
show a depressing array of figures point
ing to Unprecedented losses through
earthquake, fire, flood, accidents on
railroads, on bridges. in mines, in tun-
nels, in factories, apartment houses, and
all manner of lofty and weighty struc-
lures. The plain lesson of these casuel-
ties, in very many cases, is that the
American people with all their genius and
versatility at achieving new effects and
comprising new ends, are not thoroughly
familiar with the proper uses and limita-
tons of the building materials they EN-
ploy.
During the past five years the annual
fire loss il the United States has been
81. so per capita as compared with $50
per capita in the larger European
countries. During the last ten years the
total fires loses in the United States
amounted to 81, $50, 000, 900. The insur-
ance companies paid out during this
period $780,, 900, 900 and it is reasonable
to assume that the premiums paid by the
people of the country during the same
length of time for protection against
fire: exceeded these figures. The old pro-
verb about the relative value of an ounce
of prevention and a pound of cure would
seem to have some application to the sit
uation.
The amount of money spent by the
people individually and collectively,
in rearing temporary structures of
doubtful value is also colossal. The
Government is now %expending $40,-
900, 900, and the country 81, 900, 900, 900
yearly in building and construction
work. Judged by the lessons of the
last decade much of this sum will go
up in smoke or collapse in indistin-
guishable ruins before all of us are
dead.
1t is clear, therefore, to every think
ing man-excepting only that miser-
able portion of humanity whom we
may call "the real-estate pirates
that two things are needed. They are
ID revision of the building laws and
~ accurate knowledge concerning the
strength, fire-resistance, and other prop
critics of building materials.
The United States Geological Survey
has made certain tests of structural
materials, especially cement and con-
crete, during the last few years. Its
work in this direction might be greatly
enlarged with untold benefit to the
nation. 1t is estimated that investi-
cations such as it proposes to make
would lessen the quantity and improve
the quality of materials used and cause
a saving of fully > per cent of the total
expenditure. This would amoun to a
saving of 81 ,000, 900 yearly in the work
of the Government alone, and certainly
many millions of dollars annually in
work done by the States, cities, and
people of the country. Indirectly the
knowledge obtained from such inves-
LEGATIONS would save many more millions
by diminishing the cost of insurance
and preventing much of the terrible
loss Of life and property from fire.
1t is, proposed that these investiga-
tions be conducted by members of the
Geological Survey, but under a board
on which are representatives of the
Navy Department, the War Depart
ment Isthmian Canal Commission and
Corps of E~ngineers,) the Treasury De-
partment Supervising Architect and
the national engineering and archi-
%tectural societies of the country. This
arrangement will prevent the duplica-
ton of such work in different depart
ments.-Review of Reviews.