Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-09-21
TAYLOR
WANISF|RE
PREVENTION
State Fire Prevention ASS0-
citation Meets at James.
Large Crowd Of Citizens in
Attendance to Hear
Address

| JAMESTOWN, N. D., Sept. 21.-The
public meeting held here last night
under the auspices of the North Da
kota Fire Prevention association at
tracted a good-sized crowd of citizens
and aroused much interest. Among
the speakers of the evening was State
| Insurance Commissioner Taylor, who
delivered a most instructive discourse
He said:
| I shall not undertake to discuss fire
insurance rates, rate making, inspec
ton of risks nor any of those technical
questions which more especially con
/ Germ insurance companies and their
patrons, because there are others here
| who are infinitely better qualified than
l am to handle those subjects. But
I do want to endorse In the most posi-
tive and unqualified manner the North
Dakota State Fire Prevention associa-
ton and the splendid program to
| which it is committed.
I believe that no greater economic
problem confronts the nation today
than that Of finding ways and means
Of bringing about very substantial
reduction of the enormous annual fire
waste in this country, and that it is
the solemn and imperative duty of
every citizen to cooperate in the
movement having that object In view.
The North Dakota State Fire Pre-
vention association, which was organ
lied about year ago, has entered
upon a task of arousing public inter-
81 o11ro fhne,. lsnno IN %h{~ a.
shall not be surprised if the pioneers
in this field become discouraged at
times, because in all human expert
ence there it nothing. more remark
able or disconcerting than the calm
Indifference of the public toward mat
tiers Of economy which affect it in the
most vital manner. Even the most
obviously virtuous and necessary re-
forms move slowly. Mrs. Browning
must have had this thought in mind
when she wrote: 1T takes soul to
move a body. It takes a high.souled
man to move the masses-even to
cleaner STYLE"
But, after all, it is not strange that
there seems to be so little general in
terest in the subject of fire preven-
ton, because it has been only within
recent years that those who had the
facts before them and were most d.
rectly concerned-1 mean the fire in
surance companies, the underwriters
and field men-commenced to give the
subject intelligent and serious atten-
ton.
With the view, suppose, of break
ing down the wall Of public indiffer.
ence and of driving home the lesson
sought to be conveyed, the melan-
choly facts regarding the annual fire
waste in this country are presented in
picturesque and striking figures. Thus
we are told that fires in the United
States cost five hundred dollars min
ute; that the cost of fires each year,
is equal to one-half the cost of all the
new buildings erected in a year; that
the annual fire waste and cost of fire
prevention in the United States
amount to $450,0OO,000, or more than|
the total American production of gold
silver, copper and petroleum in al
year; that the annual per capita firel
waste in the United States is $2.51,
While in Europe it is only 80 cents:
that fifteen hundred people are killed
and five thousand injured annually as |
a result Of fire. It is said that the
fire losses in the United States in 1910
would pay the total interest bearing
debt OF the country in four years;
would build the Panama canal in two|
years; that they exceeded the total
cost of maintaining the army and navy
OF the United States in the correspnd-l
ing year.
someone has suggested that the peo-
PIE or this country are so bent upon
doing things on big scale that vel
are even proud Of the fact that We
completely distance every other civil.
lzed nation in the magnitude of our
IRE waste and the incidental destruc-
t,on OF human life. If this is true
We have nothing on the Robinson fam.
n.y. OF whom Col. Plummer. the silver
tongued orator Of an earlier day in
!n's state used to relate that one Of
us members said, yes We have the
seven-year itch, and we're proud of
no" shall we in this state tackle
the problem Of reducing the ANIMAL
nre waste within our own borders?
Inc nrst step, I think, should be in
inc direction Of stirring the public
conscience to realizing sense Of the
enormity Of this loss-which amount.
ca TO no less than three million dol I
lars last year-and to the fact that
tnls tremendous loss can be very ma
terlally reduced by the exercise Of
common prudence and the use Of SIM
pie and easily accessible means of fire |
prevention.
Inc next step. in furtherance of this
enort to spread the gospel, is to Sc |
cure the cooperation Of the press Of
.ne state. No one appreciates more
keenly than I. do the unselfish loyalty
ana devotion Of the press to the best
interests OF the state: the eagerness
and enthusiasm with which the news.
papers seize upon every opportunity
mat is offered IN nronnofa fhn rnuynnn