The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-02-03
FIRE WASTE ONE
OF BIG QUESTIONS
New York Expert Talks on
Subject at Meeting in
Fargo Friday

Fargo. n. D.. Feb. Best methods
of diminishing Americas annual
scourge from fires and thereby reduce
ing the ravages of its dreadful RED
plague" formed the features of a
meeting of business men and property
owners of Fargo last night at the
Commercial club.
Fargo Credit Mems association. that
the people were enabled to hear a
splendid address delivered by Franklin
III. Wentworth of Boston. secretary of
the National Fire Prevention %associa-
zion, which has Il branch in this state.
j. NJ. McHose Presides.
The meeting was presided ove by
j. NJ. McHose. president of the credit
men, and in opening the meeting he
said thai fire prevention was m
thing that every man, woman and
child in the state should be interested
in and he alluded to the fac that
Fargo had particularly suffered from
fires during the past year, many of
which could have been prevented had
proper carr been shown in the con-
struction work of the buildings, such
us in the electrical wiring.
More than 100 people of every walk
subject was one in which men are in
terested. All in attendance showed a
lively interest in all that took place
n the speakers were frequently APP
plauded.
Meek Urges Prevention.
In addition Mr.. Wentworth, Chas-
F.. Meek of New York, a member of
the executive committee of the Nation
al Credit Mems association, was pres
ent and gave a talk along the same
lines, urging the credit men and busi-
mace \ IN nlyo ~ r<orr~% sa ~.
subject n to help instruct the people
that an n of prevention in the
case of fire is worth hundreds OF
pounds of cure, for there is no cure.
He gave statistics to show what
could be brought about in the lower
ing of insurance rates if every man
who owned a house or lived in one,
and every business man would do his
Utmost to see that every precaution
was taken to prevent fires. MIR. Went
worth said in part:
Fire Protection Association.
THE National Fire Protection asso-
citation has members in all walks of
life. This fact brings us close to the
people and to their thought currents.
We are engineers and special students
of the fire waste, the social and eco
nomic results of which are often clear
er to us than to the underwriters
themselves. 1t is obvious to us that.
Insurance rates cannot be reduced ir-
respective of the loss ratio without
forcing insurance companies who
mean honestly to pay their losses to
retire.
Fire Waste and P%ocketbook.
The fire waste touches the pocket
OF every man woman and child in the
nation; it strikes AS surely but as
Quietly as indirect taxation; merges
with tho nnSf of ;~- ~. x-& -,
drink and wear. The profiigate burn
ing every year Of s250.OO0, 600 in the
value of the work of mems hands
means the inevitable impoverishment
of the nation. What if we were to
lose that amount annually out of the
treasury, or in wheat, corn,
or cotton. a loss of $3.50, 900, 900 a
year means 100000 pei hour for every
hour OF the twenty-four.
we are burning the equivalent of
a comfortable $4,000 home every ten
u This fearful loss, spread
over the entire business world OF
America, is beginning to manifest it's
lmpoverishing blight. The people feel
1t without yet being awake to its
cause,
Way to Solve Problem.
Iher is one way to solve this con-
migration problem-not absolutely.
but at least relatively. You cannot be
expected to tear down your cities and
febulld them of fire-resistive material;
the cities must be protected as they
stand.
I'm the heart of nearly every n
there are streets crossing at right an
giles, along which for a very consider.
able distance are buildings Of brick,
stone and concrete. Looked at upon
the map this shows a more or less
complete Maltest cross Of buildings
which are not wooden. and which OPP
crate to divide the wooden-built dis
trict into quarter sections, and which
might hold q fire in any one of these
sections if they We're equipped to do
SO. These brick and stone buildings
are ordinarily valueless as fre-stops
because their windows are of thin
glass and their window frames OF
wood"