Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-07-02
A1istellaueulls &eadins.
THE WASTE OF THE SOUTH.
Commissioner MeMaster Makes Very
Earnest and Sensible Address to Fire

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Following is the address by Commits
sioner F. M. McMaster to the South
| Carolina Fire Insurance Agents asso-
citation:
| 1T Is always a pleasure for me to
meet with the insurance men. They
are a set of jolly good fellows and
never fail to learn much from them.
But when l am asked to make a speech
to them I am reminded of certain
IIrishman. He had been a loyal and
devoted husband and when his wife,
on her death bed, said: Pat, you have
always shown your love for me and
never have denied me anything. One
last request / make: When you go
to my funeral l want you to ride in the
carriage with my mother Replied
Pat: Sure, Molly, I'll do 1t, but 1t will
spoil the pleasure of the entire occa-
sion for me-"
Last year the burden Of my re-
marks was the inducing Of investments
in South Carolina by the insurance
companies. Only a few words as to
that today: You, gentlemen will ap-
preciate that fire insurance companies
may not make such permanent invest
ments as real estate mortgages. But
they may invest in more liquid securi-
ties, such as state, county or munich
pal bonds, or first mortgage bonds OF
corporations which may be readily
saleable. Some Of these securities you
gentlemen frequently handle. I call
your attention to the attractions they
hold for the fire insurance companies.
Suppose a company does a $5O,0oo
business in this state. Its reserve Is
practically $4,000. If 1t invest $25,ooo
in the securities mentioned, its 'addi-
tional license fee is reduced from z
per cent to per cent, a saving OF 1
per cent on $4,000 or an earning of 2
per cent on the $4,000 invested.
| 81 wish to speak to you today about
the fearful fire waste in our state and
country. And I wish to ask you to
stop and think Of the opportunity
which you as fire insurance agents
have for making yourselves great ben
efactors to your fellow citizens, In
curing the causes for this waste.
"As 1 contemplate the scope OF this
subject and the opportunity 1t offers
for an analysis and Illustration Of the
noblest sentiments which should stir
man, I feel that 1t is worthy Of very
much more time than I would be fit to
give today. So as best I may, will
merely state what believe to be self
evident truths without attempting to
prove them, leaving for doubters to|
test them by study and reflection.
1T is within the power Of any man to
become a benefactor to his race. But
with the majority 1t requires that ne
go outside and beyond the limits OF his
calling. Not so with you as fire insur-
ance agents. I know Of no calling,
save those Of theology and medicine,
which offers such opportunities for
doing good to your state and for bless
ing your fellow men now living and
children yet unborn as that Of the fire
insurance agent in improving the
homes of his people, making them safe
from fire, instining in the minds OF his
fellow citizens horror for fire waste,
and thus save for use and enjoyment
what has cost time and labor to gath
er.
Next to immortality and disease, the
greatest plague that stalks forth by
day and by night, saps the vitality OF
the land and inflicts untold suffering
upon our people is the plague of fire.
I am not sure that 1t is not a symp-
tom Of immortality. 1 am sure that the
suffering it entails causes disease and
provokes immortality which might 9TH
erwise remain latent and undeveloped.
81 say that the fire waste in Amer
lea is a symptom of immortality, be-
cause the great majority Of fires are
due to the carelessness Of the builder,
the householder or some one else,
which, in it's last analysis, is lack of
appreciation of duty to ones fellow
men, a violation Of the fundamental
laws Of right and justice. To large
extent, this grows out of the reckless
ness and extravaganza Of the Amer
lean people. All waste and extrava-
gance is sin. We are told that God
hates sin. But the American people
do not They smile at it and pass on.
No part of the American people likes
to be told that 1t is uncultivated and
| i'll bred, but waste and extravaganza
indicate lack Of good breeding and are
not to be found in a truly genteel peo-
pie.
We plume ourselves on being a great
people, and like the pharisee Of old,
We thank God that we are not as 9TH
er people. We speak Of poor, benight-
ed Europe, oppressed and over taxed.
We think of the great armies and ma
vies of England and Germany and
France, and we laugh at Italy's at
tempts to keep pace. We regard 1t as
land of glorious past but of beg
carly and impoverished present. We
thank God We live in a land of liberty
and riotous living. Comparisons are
odious' and are only profitable as
they may enable us to discover our
own defects. We chuckle and think
how much better off we are when we
hear of the armed truce in Europe lin
which not a drop Of blood is shed in
anger, but in which, however, the last
drop is extracted from the living by
the lancets of European statesmen as
Lord Rosebery puts it. There is a
large element of waste in the armies
and navies of Europe, and the disci-
pline and orderly training they give to
the thousands who spend several years
of their lives in such service may
weigh little against the burden on the
people for their maintenance. But who
will gainsay the statement that this is
more profitable expenditure Of mon
ey than the burning up of the money
would be.
THE fact that if the per capita
| axpapditura for fro 1oss opd fire pre-