Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-03-18
lnefficiency of Fire Department
Shown by Redman Fire Brings
Disastrous Results.
WOULD REDUCE THE RATE BUT
An Inefficient Department With Plenty
OF Water Is as Bad as Good De-
partment With Empty Mains.

That Salt Lake is paying out to for
eign insurance companies tho much
money for protection from fire is a mat
ter agreed upon by all who have to take
out insurance policies.
The reason for this is not so clear
Time was when Salt Lake was practic-
ally insured a substantial reduction
Then occurred the Redman fire. and
everyone who saw the generalship Of
the Salt Lake fire department on that
event has agreed that child with Il
garden hose could have done about as
much efficient service.
is the incompetency of fighting fire
with politics directly responsible for the
refusal OF the fire insurance companies
to lower their Salt Lake rates as it has
been directly responsible for the loss
of prestige by the department that 1t
win take years to again build up?
Joseph Lippman, with his gang-rue
policy OF putting only Americans on
guard has forced the policy through
the American" party persuader coun-
ellis until it has enveloped departments
where efficiency means much more than
merely standing guard and where the
injection OF politics has always
brought disaster in it's wake.
MAYOR AND POLITICS.
Mayor John s. Bransford, given
personal tribute in the last election be-
cause of personal popularity as a sue
cessful business man, is as forceful as
any business man in demanding a
change in the present fire insurance
rates, which he says are at least 20 per
cent too high.
But In trying to force a reduction
Mayor Bransford has run directly into
condition created by the policies
which the persuaders Of the party to
which he gives nominal allegiance, are
responsible.
The mayor has been quoted as saying
shortly after his return from California
that 1t would be ecessary to put the
fire department on a basis where poll
ties could not wreck It, before a re-
duction would be made in local fire in
surance rates
City Councilman f. S. Fernstrom
made a direct charge In the council
Monday evening that Fire Grief Vail
was the greatest argument now exist
ing against reduction of rates.
WHIT MAYOR SAYS.
Today Mayor Bransford talked Of his
California trip and his talk there with
insurance men.
Il told them" he said. that we
would take every precaution they
might suggest to lessen danger from
fires. 1 would have the fire depart
ment chief make very frequent inspec-
tions, and l would forbid the building
of buildings within u certain district
not fully up to the most approved
standards, l told them, too. that we
deserved a reduction of at least 20
per cent, and we talked over the needs
of the city as to water and fire de-
partment, they assuring me that wa
ter without good department was as
useless as a good department without
water.
REDUCTION DUE.
The result of our talk / cannot
tell yet, as have not seen Mr. Scheid
who is in charge of such matters 10.
cally. l fully believe, however, that
we will get reduction and get it pref
ty soon. Personally l refused just
few days ago to let building 20 UP
in the business section, because the
drawings showed II to be too much
of fire trap. 1t would be unjust to
the owner of reasonable fire proof
building to let fire trap go up next
to IT, and thus jump his rate to double
or treble what he had secured on ac-
count of the quality OF his own place,
| intend. too, to see that the rules as
to removing rubbish Accommodations are
rlgidly enforced"
KARL SCHEID INTERVIEWED
Karl scheid, representative OF the
board of Pacific underwriters, when
seen this morning, was asked directly
whether the Redman fire had had any
direct result i'm delaying the time for
reducing fire rates
Yes; 1t naturally did" he replied. "It
threw in allegiance the plans for that
time. Since then. however. the compile
tion OF the big cross town water main
on Fifth South has brought in a new
item much in favor of the hoped-for re-
duction. A reduction is due the city
and 1t will assuredly be made, and no
politics enters into our considerations.
which are strictly matter OF figuring
the water available, the amount OF Are
protection given by the fire department.
and the number of buildings In an area
under consideration that would prove
good fire spreaders If they ever got
started. We have been at work compIl-
ing data in Salt Lake for a long time
and are almost ready to announce re-
suits"