Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-11-17
BUILDINGS
SHOULD BE
FIRE PROOF
(By e. w. Fitzpatrick

tense" In years past peOpie mao |
grown to look upon the requirements |
OF the companies as the standard of
The companies preach
ed on fire prevention, but the differ
ence in their rates for lnsuring good !
buildings and poor buildings was not
sufficient to encourage people to
build well. Our people are natural
born spectators. Their solicitude
was to know how poorly they could
build and yet be insured. The COM
panies placed a ridlculously low rate
on such construction and people built
so because they could get shabby
work insured, and thus tinder box
construction spread in our cities.
Then a great confagration would oc-
cur or the municipalities would not
go to the expense OF installing won
derful water supplies, etc, at the
dictation of the companies. Up would
go the rates. People could not well
tear down their buildings to build
properly and therefore had to mild
ly submit and we are actually told
living in a species OF subjugation to
the insurance companies, as far as
our buildings are concerned. When
II comes to new work. however, the
people are to blame absolutely and
deserve no commiseratlon II they de-
liberately put themselves into such
bondage.
IL is the duty of the press, the real
educator of the people, to show them
how they may keep from that bond
age, and also to point out the way
TO the municipalities that these may
encourage their citizens to build bet
ter. Let me quote from an editorial
from the American Architect and
and Building News, the leading ar
ichitectural journal of the country
IL indicates the way and does II
tersely: "There Is no public ordl-
nance that restricts the sale OF
comestibles lest a man may kill him
self by overeating, for II he does
II is merely a warning to his neigh
bors not TO do the same thing. The
community does not legislate for the
benefit OF the individual. But there
is propriety In legislation intended
to prevent and control contagious
diseases, which may be spread from
the unclean and ignorant individual
who originates them TO the commun-
ity at large. No legislation aimed
for the prevention OF contaglon Is
held too grinding and uncomfortable.
No disease that can affect the public
welfare is more contagious than a
conhagration. and yet comparatively
little effort Is made by the public TO
deal with II preventlvely
Millions are spent yearly in
handling fires, but only hundreds are
expended In steps TO prevent their
outbreak.
II Is the community at large that
Is the culprlt, since 1t suffers fires
TO take place when ii has the power
10 prevent them. IL annually looks
calmly on the expenditures OF mill
lions that come out of its own pock-
cts for the maintenance of ineffec-
tive lre departments, and yet II but
, half the money spent In Chicago In
this way had been divided among
the improvers OF real estate so as to
, cover. In the case OF each improve.
ment, the difference In cost between
combustible and hcombustible build,
, ing, the greater part OF the city
would now be indestruetible
This simple method could be adopt
ed from today and future genera
tions would look with reverence OF
{ the men that devised this system anC
/ honestly administered the details o
/ It's application the men
y Il might be added. who would hav,
thus safeguarded their own inter
ests while looking TO the welfare o
posterity. e.
II The theory under which advance
In freproof building have been mad
hitherto is largely, II not altogether
g a mistaken one, IL has been the as
u sumption that real estate improvel
as sane business man, should b
= able 20 perceive how much It was /
his own ultimate advantage TO bull
an indestructible building and con
: tents. The true theory Is that In
oombustible buildings must be bull
II Is immaterial to the taxpayer
whether or no an Individual elect
TO let his building be destroyed b
fre, but Il Is OF material interest I
the public that the property OF oths