The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-23
FIRE CHIEF VAIL
IS EXPENSIVE IN
PRESENT PLACE
DiSCredited Official Will Cost
Business Men $4,000 a
Year if Retained.
INSURANCE RATES HINGE
ON HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
REDUCTION WILL BE IS PER
CENT WITH VAIL OR 25 PER
CENT WITH BYWATER.

Attention has been called to the fact
that there will be a reduction in the
insurance rates for IRE in this city
speedily and attention has likewise
been called to the fact that the extent
of that reduction depends upon the
reorganization of the fire department.
The amount of the reduction hinges
on the retention of Chief Charles F.
all or his suppression by w. H. By
water That. in a nutshell, appears to
be the insurance rate situation.
The reduction in insurance rates in
Salt Lake would, il is understood
have amounted to % per cent had not
Chief Vail blundered at the time OF the
Redman fire. That bit of work on
Chief Wallis part led the board OF fire
underwriters TO hold up its recon-
mendatiOns for the time being, but the
policy-holders may not suffer greatly
by the delay. because when the dc
crease is ordered it will be made re-
troactive.
The question therefore, is pivotal on
the point Of whether the business lis
trict is to get a reduction of 25 per
cent or, as generally understood. Is
per cent. If Chief Vail is retained, it
is the open statement Of those who not
only assume to know. but do know,
that the reduction will be on the basis
Of the smaller figure. If, on the con-
tTaTy, assurance were given those who
fix the schedules that a man c)mpe-
tent to handle the department would
be installed in Office. the greater fig
ure would be ordered in the reduction.
What 1t Amounts To.
The difference between thu 25 Per
cent and the Is per cent reduction in
rates in the business district in salt
Lake. roughly estimated. would
amount to $4,000 year. As matter
of fact. the insurance men say, the
new rates will not apply to dwelling
houses, which are said to be carried
at the lowest possible rate already.
The merchants and the owners Of the
larger buildings are the ones that will
be affected. The business district may
be said to include the territory bounded
by South Temple street on the north,
Second East on the east, Fourth South
on the south and the Rio Grande
property on the west. There are. of
course, scores of manufacturing
plants, wholesale establishments and
warehouses that are not included in
this territory. Premiums amounting to
S450000 approximately are paid on in
surance policies in Salt Lake Elm
mating, at rough estimate S10O. 000
that Will not be affected by the Teduc-
ton, there remains s35O,000. It is a
matter of simple mathematics. this
showing thai there is a difference Of
$4,000 between the % per cent and the
10 per cent decrease when il comes 10
paying premiums.
Politics Cut No Figure.
"A good deal of this talk about the
hierarchy and other influences having
all to do with this fire insurance bust
osH
day, lis the Yeriest tOmmyrot. Do you
suppose for a moment that the men
who sit on the boards i'm san Francis
co or direct the affairs of insurance
companies from New York or Liver
pool. for instance care continental
what church Chief Vail attends or
Bywater attends. or any other chief
OF what their religious beliefs
or pTejudices are? Well, l would
rather think not.
Insurance rates are fixed according
to schedule of hazards in whose
preparation are taken into account
many things aside from the character
of the buildings themselves such as
special fire protection credits. One of
the chief of these, of course, is the ef-
icency of the fire department The
men who fix the rates base their ac-
ton on statistics. and if it were
shown that Chinaman were chief Of
the fire department in Salt Lake with
a clean record for preventing fires il
would be all right with them 1t is
purely matter of business. There is
no trust or combine about it,"
Prevention of Fire.
Another insurance man said. When
Bywater was chief he constantly had
squads of men about the streets and
buildings. learning the location of
roofs. windows, doors and
generally becoming informed along
this line. The consequence was that
Bywater prevented fires-his knowI-
edge of the buildings stood him in
good stead when it was a matter of
a fire in the beginning. Z
am sorry that the records show that
this is not the case now.