The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-26
No DECREASE SHOWN
IN FIRE LOSSES
BIG EXPENSE GILL FOR THIS
YEAR ROLLED UP BY DE-
vouRike ELEMENT.

Chicago Sept. 25.-Fire losses re-
ported for Ises-for seven months. in
Guiding July. s1t9,s33. s5o-indicate a
total fire tax for the year nearly as
great as in 1897 and greater than in
1903 and 1906. and probably 10 exceed
s2n0 600. 900. In previous years Octn-
her, November and December have no
ticeably shown tire increase when au-
tumn heating plants were started. Eff
forts To prevent fires seemingly have
made little Roadway. and the huge ex-
penditures made for putting them out
merely add to the toll taken in the
United States by the fire monstes,
which during the last five years has
amounted to much over billion dol
lars--a dead loss.
The fire losses of lg06-the year az
the San Francisco disaSter-reached n
total of s459, 100000 and no adequate
steps have been taken by any city to
thoroughly eliminate the conflagration
hazard. which in Chicago is said by
an authority to be now as great as
when the great fire of 1873 broke out,
regardless of the city's splendid fire
department and its reinforcements. the
force paid for by the fire underwriters.
The efforts which are being made 10
secure a high-pressure water system
for the loop district of Chicago Is q
sign of the times. however. business
interests having come To see their share
i'm the country's fire losses. as insur-
ance companies necessarily must at
a. q
enue to cover their losses. That they
have not succeeded in this is shown by
the fact that the underwriting loss for
10 years of the American and for
eign" companies has amounted to ST.
22l,542, their average expense being
81 cents on every dollar of premiums
and their losses To sos on every dol
lar of premiums.
Official note has not yet been taken
of the annual admiration of property
To the value of s200. oa0. 900 and more.
although recent reports from European
countries show that the fire loss of
the United States Is annually sI7s.-
100000 greater than on the basis of
European countries.
Reports show that i'm Germany,
France, Italy, Spain. Belgium, Holland.
Switzerland and Great Britain the av-
erage annual fire loss per capita. the
average rate paid for fire insurance
and the average annual loss of life by
fire are each about one tenth of the
same averages I'm this country Ber-
lin has IA population about one third
larger than Chicago 1t has grown
during recent decades as rapidly as
Chicago. and is uuqite as strenuous
in its activities. 1T is surrounded by
enormous and rapidly growing manu-
featuring sectionsf The annual fire
loss of Chicago approximates $1,000
600 The annual fire loss of Berlin
rarely exceeds $4,000.
This astounding comparison has
been commented upon by an under
writing authority. who said: The fire
waste In the United States in this en-
hghtened twentieth century is not only
appalling. but that Ii is permitted In
incomprehensib'e. During the past
I'VE years the destruction of property
by fire In the United States-eyec
with the most conservative estimates
of the Baltimore and San Francisc,
conflagrations-ama to sf.aso
100000 The human mind can hardly
grasp the immensely of the waste thus
entai3ed. Insurance has not and can
not replace ii. 1t only distributes
more or less generally and To all the
people, the immense losses which
otherwise would fail with crushing
force upon individuals and commune
ties
Had this destruction been caused
by war the nation would have arisen
as one man to repel the invader. but
with this insidious foe, which marks
It's flaming pathway across the face
OF this land. we stand idly by while
this awful destruction continues. But
the loss To the people and To the ma
ton does not stop with the tale of this
destruction. The consequential lbs.
far exceeds the direct loss caused bv
the burning of the PROPERTY itself
ASIDE from the paralysis of individual
ana corporate enterprise. the loss af
trade honselesS and homeless citizens.
anu idle and unemployed labnrers. the
communities and the people sustain n
loss which cannot be measured i'm dol
lars and cents. but which is none the
less tangible and which continues far
years To come. This loss of over a
billion and a quarter was taxable
property. bearing its share of the bur-
den OF the state. county. school and
municipality. Even at a rate of 1
per cent the annual taxable charge
Nithdfasn from contribution for GOV
ernmental expenses amounts To the
sum of s12,600.o0D, which neeessaritv
ia aF