Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-17
THE KIND Of BUILDING
Relation of Good Construction
to Insurance Rates.
HOUSES FORM ONE CLASS
Owners of Property Can Do a Good
Deal.
METHOD OF KEEPING DOWN COST
The New Building Code for the Dis
trict That is Now in Course
OF Preparation.
HOUSES FORM ONE CLASS
dETH0D OF KEEPING DOWN COST

Since the confagration In tho CIV of
san Francisco. April last. many articles
nave appeared In the newspapers, and
many suggestions have been made to the
insurance companies In order to prevent
hre waste observed a fire Insurance ex.
pert.
1T is not generally known TIM, III. I'm
Surahce companies do not make laws.
heoher can they enforce regulations cor,,
peling any class of construction. WITHIN
ehe iast fifteen years the companIes bay.
Drought about much reform In tho COW
"ction or buildings. by compiling scbed.
ues III winch they take for a basis a
,''ouei building and charge for deficiencies
ny TINS method enabling the insured 70
h o MS own rate. These schedules have
rssh n provided PROV for almost all classes of
lisks' with the exception of dweIlings and
on account of the extremeIv sraaf anu
ra.o, low rate of premium and the enor.
.i,ous expense to which the comnanie,
class oe put Tor the inspection of this
LASS lass OF property a minimum rate is estah.
hazard ' hoi the uWeilng
suggestions to Builders.
Dwelling houses are invariabIv o,,. -.
INTO small rooms and the difference ,n
.neir construction is mostly overcome bv
'ne character and class of furnishing thu.
PC , uniting OF a uniform minimum rate
YIN 'he manufacturing plant, Office and
n ea!the buildings, all classes of hazards
&C.. ..eIeo INTO and the up-to-date archi-
s,,ran ~. property holder, realizing that in
sui ance Is great factor in the cost os
maintenance. usually consults the Trndar
writer's Association having iurIsdjctinn -
rate er'aln something of their Insurance.
idles, ana IN this manner the insuranca
companies are securing a much hattor tiiice
OF building and protecting one nejebbo,
against another e HeisHpor
insurance rates are made by the public
anu not by the insurance comnanies Tha
great Importance of the fire ins,ran noe 49,
rem rs unfortunately not so we'll understond
; ny the general public as by the underwent
ing interests Of the country and hm, =
small portion of the public annrania ,as 81.
sApplng OF their citys material strength
que TO destruction by fire
Property Owners Can HeIp.
The people need to learn the lesson thai
the more they will take care of their ou-,
nre risk. the less they will ask their nm
oerwrlters to guarantee and the less their
nre insurance will cost them Every nm
uer"rpter desires the largest and most ef
Licieht oegree of personal attention and the
piNate protectlon on the part of the prom
eT.y owners that can be secured In effect
on oil, ui.oeIWriters schedules ana allowances
give notice to the people that every fire
wall. every fireproof partition every Are
shutter or wfreglass window. every fire
Hoos, every properly constructed building
az rey AUTOMATIC sprinkler system, every
interior nre alarm. every fire resisting floor
every safe system for heating or yentiIat
ing every efficient water supply hvdrant
every standpipe. every tank for fire pur.
poses, every waste receptacle every good
watchman's clock, every row Of ar nsiIs
portable fire extinguishers Cpresumdng that
ali or the devices and materials quoted ara
vi one patterns that tests have shown to
oe rehaoie) Is SO much contributing in
surance to the extent that the nronert,,
owner protects his premises, he provides. a
sort or co-insurance, the existence OF which
Is welcomed by underwriters and promptly
recognized in reduced premiums
Prepared a Building Code.
During the year of 1905 the National
Board of Fire Underwriters, through a com
mittee on construction of building, prepared
building code. designed to secure uniform
building laws throughout the country.
EVERY effort was employed to make TINS
code as complete and comprehensive as DOS
s1ble The committee was assisted in its
work Dy experts of the highest authority In
the art or building construction A copy of
thls code was sent to the authorities of ALI
municipalities in the United States of five
thousand or more Inhabitants accompsnied
by communication from the committed
urging Its adoption, and If the municipaIi-
ties can only be induced to adopt this code
property owners VIII reap the benefit of the
increased cost of buildings in reductions in
insurance rates over what they are paying
on the poorer constructed class of today
"A small percentage of property holders
realize the necessity of good construction
and build fireproof buildings, but being sur
rounded by class of buildings which when
they burn, destroy the better building to the
extent Of from 40 to 90 per cent and thereby
force the insurance companies to charge for
exposures and refuse the owner of the bet
ter building rate of insurance common
surate with its construction.
To Amend Local Laws.
"A committee is at present working upon
an amended building code for the District
of Columbia. 1t is not believed that an
underwater Is represented on this COM
mittee. but, doubt, copy of the build
ing code recommended by the National
Board of Fire Underwriters is before them.
Public and underwriters have a COM
mon cause in checking the fire waste. The
people want lower insurance premiums and
the underwater is more than willing to
grant lower rates In return for diminished
fire dangers. Commercial considerations,
which govern the actions of business peo-
pie more than any other influence. have
come into play. The cost of insurance
Expenditures by him for safe construc-
ton. for the watchfulness which reduces
the danger of fires. and for all other
things that minimize fire perils, represent
wise investments. The saving in insurance
premiums that will follow will return fair
dividends on the cost of protective ap-