The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-09-29
REDUCE FIRE LOSSES.
SOME GOOD SUGGESTIONS ON AN
IMPORTANT NATTER.
How Insurance Agents, Through Co.
operation With Authorities Can Aid
Cause.

Louisville, KY, Sept. 24.-In its
current issue the Insurance Field Of
this city publishes an editorial pro-
posing the cooperation Of insurance
agents with health and sanitary
bodies and associations of various
communities for the purpose Of keep.
ing down the enormous fire waste
which, for the past ten years has av-
eraged over s213,OO0,OOO annually.
The editorial says in part:
Cleanliness ana neatness have
been recognized not alone as under
writing virtues, but as sanitary and
health requisites. In all of the we'll
organized cities and towns Of the
country war against tuberculosis,
against infected water and milk SUD-
plies, against unsanitary and crowd
ed houses has been started. The ne
cessity of cleanliness is urged every
where. 'Cleaning-up Day now
amounts to municipal function In
most large towns Associated chari-
ties are everywhere seeking to open
the packed tenement house districts
and clean them up. Public and pri-
vate medical authorities are aiding
In order to prevent the spread Of tu-
berculosis and other bacterial dis
eases.
The foundation of their work is to-
promote separation and cleanliness,
exactly the things that underwriting
practice loudly calls for. There have
$50 sprung into existence in hun-
dreds Of cities organizations of wo-
men with the object Of encouraging
the Identification Of streets and pri-
vate premises. Their purpose also 4.
cleanliness and order for the effect
beautiful.
These organizations designate at
least once every year, and in many
cases twice in the year, general
cleaning up day. when all the public
and private machinery Of their cities
is concentrated on the work of re-
moving trash that is unsightly or Of
fensive. 1t is removed and converted
to useful purposes or burned. In ev-
cry city the municipal authorities put
the police and fire departments at
work cooperating on cleaning up
days, so that there has been estab-
lished sympathetic connection in
this direction. With the associated
charities the health authorities CO.
operate, so that the public attitude
towards sanitation and Identification
is friendly and encouraging.
THE fire insurance agents. acting
for their companies, and having their
assistance, can bring most powerful
force to bear in helping two move
ments and also in reducing the fire
loss. Improvement of the public
health by cleaning out crowded tene-
ments tends to remove a decided fire
hazard caused by the ignorance that
prevails and is conc cntrated in such
buildings. Beautifying a city removes
hr1 breeding causes apparent TO ev-
erybody. Trash in sheds, alleys and
back yards breeds fire. To maintain
clean streets and premises is a long
step toward maintaining clean store
buildings, manufactures and dwell
ings. 1t leads then to repairing fences
and shutters and dangerous roofs and
walls that harbor fire and are small
pox marks of carelessness.
That being the opportunity of the
local agents, what forces can they
bring to this general movement,
which naturally promises more for
their own immediate benefit than for
any of the other forces already at
work? Local boards and rating au-
thorities can hold out practical re-
wards that the other forces cannot.
They can show how the removal
or rubbish and litter will reduce the
fire waste and inevitably bring about
a reduction Of the insurance rate. By