The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-06-21
SAVE THE BOYS FROM
DEATH; CUT ASH HEAP

Save the boys. The conservation
of the created resources of the state
and nation is one of the big prob
lens for the American people to
solve. The Minnesota fire marshal
department is putting forth it's best
endeavors along this line in persist
emily calling the attention of the
people of the state to reduce the
annual ash heap by the elimination
of hazardous fire conditions.
If the people of Minnesota could
be brought to realize the enormous
and unnecessary fire loss, amounting
in 1911 to nearly s6.0OO,0OO. fully
seventy per cent of this loss could
have been saved to the people il
proper care had been used. The
stuendous fire waste in this count
ry every year has been Justly term
ed "our national folly" The annual
per capita fire waste in the United
States is estimated at S2.51 In
Minnesota in 1911 it reached nearly
SO per capita, while in Europe the
loss was only SO cents. The sense
of the criminality and immortality
of needless fire waste js not yet
fully realized by the people of Min
nesota. in France for instance, there
is law, dating from the time of
! Napoleon, providing that if fire
starts i'm your house or property
and damages the property of your
neighbor you will be held liable to
the owner thereof. In order Euro
pean countries a heavy liability rests
La fho nrfry rxrho
the fire starts In this country the
| fires are fought bravely by the fire
department, regular and volunteer.
the ashes are viewed when the waste
is completed, the insurance COM
panies settle the policies and all is
over.
Minnesota viii Celebrate.
Minnesota will no doubt celebrate
July 4 in a manner which BELTS
the occasion. Practically every vii
lage and hamlet in the state will
have on display and for sale the
dangerous and death dealing fire
cracker. For several years con-
certed movement has been made in
the cities of ST. Paul and Minneapolis
looking to the reduction of loss and
property from this source to the
minimum. And the results obtained
have been most gratifying, demon
J strating that it would be possible to
absolutely eliminate the fires caused
by this agency. The insurance rates
in Minnesota are entirely too high
and they can only be materially re-
duced by the people of the state
taking hold of the matter. In pre-
venting or curtailing the use of the
fire cracker and other sort of fire
works the mayors and councils of the
various municipalities of the state
can assist very materially.
i The small boy of course enjoys
the fire cracker for the noise it
makes and the element of danger in
their use. From the year 1903 to
1910, 1882 people of this nation
were either killed outright or badly
wounded by the careless handling
of fire works. The annual slaught-
er is fast approaching and it is
| largely up to the people of this
state as to the number that will be
sacrificed by this false idea of pa
triotism. The annual property loss
as the false idea of patriotism. The
annual property loss as the result
of the fourth of July fires reaches
astounding figures. These losses in
crease the fire tax on the people
because the insurance companies
must recoup their losses from those
who, are responsible for them.
| Asked to Cooperate.
City and village authorities are
urged to cooperate with the Mime
sofa state fire marshal in eliminating
the losses caused by the careless
use of fire works Aside from the
small profit that dealers make in
handling these wares no one could
possibly lose, and the welfare of
the masses should not be jeopardized
for the benefit of few.
An ordinance or resolution abso-
lutely prohibiting the sale and use
lof fire crackers or other fire works
in every municipality in this state
| is justifiable and would have a most
wholesome effect %
Chapter %, General Laws of 1907,
regulate the size of fire cracker,
and prohibits the use of blank cart
ridge fire arms as follows:
Section 1. Every person who
shall manufacture, use. sell or keep
for sale within this state any blank
cartridge pistol, blank cartridge fire
arms, blank cartridges, caps con-
tanning dynamite, and fire crackers
exceeding three inches in length. and
exceeding one-half of an inch in
diameter, shall be guilty of mis-
demeanor -,
Village authorities and city coun-
ellis VIII be doing the public signal
service If they will forthwith pass
an ordinance absolutely prohibiting