The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-09-10
AN ENORMOUS FIRE LOSS

4
AN ENORMOUS FIRE LOSS
Fire losses reported for l909-for
seven months, including July, $ll9,633,
950-indicate total fire tax for the
year nearly as great as in 1907 anO
greater than in 1903 and 1905, ana
probably to exceed $2O0,000,O00. In
previous years October, November and
December have noticeably shown the
increase when autumn heating plants
were started. Efforts to prevent fires
seemingly have made little Roadway
and the huge expenditures made for
putting them out merely add to the
toll taken in the United States by the
fire monster, which during the last
five years has amounted to much over
a billion dollars-a dead loss. The
fire losses of l906-year of the San
Francisco's disaster-reached total of
$3.50, 10000, and no adequate steps have
been taken by any city to thoroughly
eliminate the contiagration 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 it's
achievements, the force paid for by
the fire underwriters. The efforts which
are being made to secure high pres.
sure water system for the loop dis
tricts of Chicago is sign of the
times. however, business interests hav-
ing come to see their share in the
country's fire losses as insurance COM
panies necessarily must attempt to
make their rates bring a revenue to
cover their losses That they have not
succeeded in this is shown by the
fact that the underwriting loss of ten
years of the American and foreign"
companies has amounted to $77,22l ,542,
their average expense being thirty seven
cents on every dollar of premiums and
their losses to COS on every dollar of
premiums.
Official note has not. yet been taken
of the annual humiliation of property
to the value of $2OO,OOO,OOO and more,
although recent reports from European
countries show that the fire loss of
the United States is annually $l75,-
100000 greater than on the basis of
European countries. Reports show that
in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Bel
GUM, Holland, Switzerland and Great
Britain the average 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 in this country.
Berlin has population of about one
of Chicago approXimates $5,OOOO00,
the annual fire loss of Berlin rarely ex
ceeds $l50,080. This astonishing COM
parison has been commented upon by an
underwriting authority, who said: ''The
fire waste in the United States in this
enlightened twentieth century is not only
appalling but that it is permitted is in
comprehensive. During the past five
years the destruction of property by fire
in the United States with the mo
in the United States-even with the most
conservative estimates of the Balti-
amounted to one billion, two hundred
and sixty million dollars. The human
mind can hardly grasp the immensely
of the waste thus entailed. Insur-
ance has not and cannot replace it..
1t only distributes, more or less gen.
orally and to all the people, the i'm
mense losses which otherwise would
fall with crushing force upon individuals
and communities.
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 nation
does not stop with the tale of this
destruction. The consequential loss far
exceeds the direct loss caused by the
burning of the property itself Aside
from the paralysis of individual and
corporate enterprise, the loss of trade,
houseless and homeless citizens, and
idle and unemployed laborers, the COM
munities and the people sustain loss
which cannot be measured in dollars
and cents, but which is none the less
tangible and which continues for years
to come. This loss of over billion
and quarter was taxable property,
bearing its share of the burden of the
state, county, school and municipality
Even at rate of one per cent the
annual taxable charge withdrawn from
contribution for governmental expenses
amounts to the sum of twelve million,
six hundred thousand dollars, which
necessarily increases the rate of tax
alton upon destroyed property"
REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS.
Joseph E. Reed to Alex H. Press