The Dickinson press., 1910-12-17
'sAFE AND SANE"
BUILDING the sl0eAn

OUU6OUW0
The convention at Pittsbure of pr omi-
nent brick manufacturers from all over
the country has left its mark on those
who, returning to their home cities and
daily tasks. cannot forget the Importance
to the nation of the action there taken
to improve our communities and reduce
fire risks.
Interviews with these men make most
interesting reading; the bald facts be-
ing of sufficient force to compel atten-
ton.
Government Reports in the depart
ment Of Geological Survey show that we
citizens of the United States burn up
buildings OF almost as much value in a
year as those we construct, and that
most of them are frame buildings; also,
that unfortunately, thousands of people
who never dream of danger are burned
up with them, on very short notice
The recorded fire loss of 1907 was over
2l5 millions of dollars, but that was
less than half what fires cost us. because
fire protection costs US nearly 96 millions
and we paid to the Insurance Companies
almost 146 million dollars more than
they paid back for losses, a total of
$457. 900. 600 net loss.
Besides these appalling figures, more
than half the total loss by fire was no
insured and is a dead loss to the victims
and to our national prosperity.
None of these figures represent the loss
to commerce by interference with bust
ness. wages lost through the hundreds of
thousands thrown out of employment,
and similar disturbance of the processes
of creating veal tn.
Still more instr uctive are the figures
which show that in the cities, where
frame construction is relatively scarce,
the loss on wooden buildings is ten mil
lion dollars greater than all the losses
on more solid constructions. besides
being responsible for most of the fires
which spread beyond the buildings in
which they started whereas in smaller
towns the loss on wooden buildings is
four and a half times as great as on all
others. totaline some SO millions of
dollars.
These established facts are enough to
interest any man in the material of the
buildings he lives and works in, and the
brickmakers say that brick-buiJt Europe
proves that the remedy is in building
America with brick instead Of wood.
They point to a comparison of equal
populations in certain cities of Europe
and America. showing that the European
fire losses are in the proportion of 81
cents per capita against $2.14 per
capita in the United States, whereas the
European fire departments cost little to
maintain, and insurance rates are so
low as to be relatively negligible.
We burn up $500, 900 a day-S25, 900
every hour of every day the year around,
and a lot of people too, by out neglect
| of bricks.
These brick makers have combined to
tell the public about the economy of
brick buildings. and that the high cost
of lumber has made it actually cheaper
to build and maintain a brick house
than a wooden house.
Our trees are fast disappearing and we
need them where they grow to stop
floods, prevent droughts and preserve
animal life.
Our clay banks are inexhaustible and
their change into brick, the only build
ing material which is made by fire and
can be depended on to resist fire, harms
none; while in these days of better
domestic architecture the resemblance
to picturesque England which would be
brought about by constructing our towns
and villages Of brick, as the English do
would not be the least of the benefits
that would accrue to our children and
| orr children'a children