Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-07
LOSS THRU CONTRIBUTIONS
LEviEs ENORMOUS TAX ON
PEOPLE.
GOVERNMENT ISSUES FIGURES
AND POINTS A MORAL
Millions Might Be Saved to Property
Owners by Proper Construction Of
BuiIdinss-Fires Also Levy Heavy
Toll on Human Life-Faulty Con-
struetion Blamed.

Washington, Feb. 7.-Fire, stolen
to ancient Greek mythology, and as
blessing brought by him to earth in a
hollow reed after Zeus had deprived
mankind of it, levies upon Americans
each year an enormous tax calculated
by United States government offic ials
at almost a million and a half dollars a
day and 1,449 lives year. AS a result
of an investigation just concluded by
officials Of the United State geological
survey it has been ascertained that
cheaper fireproof materials can be used
/ to advantage in construction, that three
to six times the necessary amount of
material is habitually used in struc-
tural work in the United States, that
the building codes are laXly enforced,
that the fire loss in the United States is
eight times as much per capita as in
any country in Europe and that the
great fire waste in the United States
is due principally TO the predominance
of frame buildings anc TO defective
construction and equipment.
Contrast between thes mall losses by
fire to government buildings and the
immense losses reported from the
country as a whole led the geological
survey to make an inquiry as TO ire
losses in the United States and as to
their eXast cost to the people. Tests
to determine thes uenSth and fire re-
sistance of building materials are still
being made by the survey. and altho
these tests are designed primarily TO
meet the needs of the oyernment as the
larger consumer, their results are
available 10 anyone for general use.
Government Carries Own Insurance.
Not one person in thousand knows
that the United states government
owns buildings that cost more tnan
5000, 100000 and is spending $50. 0Oo,0 900
a year for new buildings. 1t will be
surprise to everyone, too, to learn that
not one cent of insurance against loss
by fire is carried on these valuable
buildings. Insurance at the ordinary
rate would cost more than half NIL
lion dollars year, and the government
avoids this great tax by constructing
buildings that are securely freproof.
To attain this degree of security from
fire for government buildings the gov
eminent has gone to considerable ex-
pense and the results obtained 1uiiy
repay the outlay. From these tests to
determine the strength and fire resist
ance Of building materials it has been
determined that American builders can
with safety use cheaper fireproof ma
terials than they do. 1t has been
learned that the difference in cost be-
tween fireproof and inflammable build
ings is less than generally supposed
and the officials predict that this diff
ference will soon become SO small that
it will cease to encourage the con-
struction of fiimsy buildings. 1t has
been found that three to six times the
necessary amount of material is habit
ualiy used by American builders IN
structural work. The necessity also Is
shown for better building codes in
cities and especially of better en-
force1nent of the codes already enacted
if the present enormous fire losses are
to be diminished.
Fires Heavy Tax.
After q careful investigation 1t mas
been determined that the total cost OF
fires in the United States in 1907, ex-
Guiding that of forest fires and the
marine losses Gin themselves extern
sive) but including excess cost OF fire
protection due to bad construction and
excess premiums over insurance PAID,
amounted to the enormous sum OF over
S456,4s5 900, tax on the American
people exceeding the total value OF all
the gold, silver, copper and petroleum
produced in the United States in that
year. The cost Of building construction
in 1907 in forty-nine leading cities OF
the United States reporting a total
population of less than 100000
Hhn onSfl
of building construction for the entire
country is conservatively estimated at
s., 900 900. 900. Thus it will be seen that
nearly one-half of the value of all the
new buildings constructed within one
year is destroyed by fire. The annual
fire cost is greater than the value OF
real property and improvements in
either Maine, West Virginia. North
Carolina North Dakota, South Dako-
ia, Alabama, Louisiana, or Montana.
In addition to this waste of wealth