The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-07-06

through the interference of his bust
ness which has bankrupted many
merchant.
In regard to these totals have we
anything to quarrel about or are they
inevitable? In six countries in west
ern Europe the per capita fire loss is
80 cents while ours is over So or al
most ten times as much. If we have
all this waste here, with all the dam
age 1t is doing, which does not exist
In other countries, the most import
ant question is, why? We use too
much wood in construction and there
are too many badly built buildings.
Another criminal cause of fire waste
Is dirty housekeeping, not so much in
homes as in our places of business.
Fortunately all this is changeable.
How shall we improve matters? We
have today authoritative information
about how to build right and how to
prepare and enforce laws. What we
need is more concert of action.
In the first place, we want uniform
fire insurance policy. The American
Bar association is decidedly of the
opinion that it is necessary. The basis
of credit in almost every merchants
sale Of bill Of goods is the assurance
that the money not paid is protected
| by insurance policies. Therefore the
contract should be readable by all men
and identical in essentials with the
same kind of contract everywhere. If
you have thousand accounts all over
the country, you have not time to in
vestigate every instrument or rider.
There should be uniform policy and
it should be simpler than it is today.
The interests that should unite to draw
such a contract are the committee on
uniform laws of the American Bar as
| ISOLATION, the state insurance depart
ments, the fire underwriters organiza-
| tions, and representatives of the COM
bined trade associations of this state.
The state, the buyer, the seller, and
| counsel are all needed to produce a
| proper contract.
Sound honest inspection Of the finan-
cial condition of insurance companies
| is needed so that policy will carry its
own state brand Of solvency Besides
this every state should have a fire
marshal. He will be able to get an
accurate record Of fire waste which to-
| day nobody can give Even insurance
companies have to guess it by aver
aging the facts they have. The wrong
| cannot be redressed before 1t is under
stood. One obstacle to the passing OF
| fire marshal laws is the question as
to who is to pay the bill. The people
say, LET us charge it to the insur-
ance companies" The latter declare
"You must take it out of the tax levy,
while farmers mutual companies say
| Let the big fellow pay it." BY divid-
| ing the cost between the companies
and the tax levy more states would
succeed in passing salutary fire mar
shall laws.
The next thing required is a proper
licensing Of brokers. Once licensed ht
should be required to do certain things
Arson comes from the ability to ge
improper insurance too easily. The
applicant for insurance, when he goes
to a broker for a policy should max,
an allegation of the insured value anC
of the total insurance in force at the
time The broker today must alleg,
that he finds the facts as stated but this
should be set forth in detail and no
| in a phrase. The statement should b,
signed by the applicant, Endorsed b.
the broker, and sent to the fire mar
shall. If at the time Of the loss it cal
be shown in adjustment that the ale
CATION was false, let the man SUITE
the same penalty that he does toda!
for presenting a false statement fo
credit.
Applications for insurance go to /;
rating bureau which gives the broke
a transcript of the defects of the build
ing and of what they would give in tn,
way of a reduced rate If you improv,
those conditions. The broker shoult
pass the transcript to the fire marshal
If by making $1,000 improvements
saving of $500 in the premium can o.
effected then the marshal should b.
able to compel you to do it.
After the state machinery is per
fected we need to look after the mum
cipal ordinances. In almost every cit.
in this country there is no mandator!
\ limit on the bad condition in which
buildings may be kept A good build
ing ordinance should cover, first, hoV
to put and protect a new building an,
it should require that old buildings b
gradually improved. The assesso
should enclose two blanks which tn
property owner should pass on to TIL
fire marshal semi -annually, alleginl
the condition of his buildings. If h
has broken any law let him bear tn
penalty. Chief Croker of New Yorl
has said that of $4,000 fires in 1908
1000 came from faulty compliance witt
the tenement laws and from filthy eel
lars and Railways filled with combusti
BILE material. After making the either
20 on record we need inspection o
property. There Is no reason why tn
active fire force should not use a por
ton Of its time in familiarizing itsel
with the very places 1t may be GALES
lupon to protect and at the same tim
stopping disorder and carelessness be
fore fires start. We should take TIL
position of the Chinaman who pays tn
doctor as long as he is well. We ough
TO stop this thing instead Of takinl
care of the victim afterwards.