The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1912-09-21
STATE OF ILLINOIS EXECUTIVE
DEPARTMENT, PROCLAMATION
nv THE GovKRNoR, AUGUST so,
.o1o

nv TEE GOVERNOR, AUGUST so,
1912.
Chief among the great conservation
problems which call upon our state
for solution, none can be more import
ant than that presented by present
conditions in the matter of waste OF
the energy and resources Of our State
and Nation through destruction by hre'
Commendable as is the movement TO
conserve our natural resources 1 am
impressed also with the great necessity
of conserving the properties of our peo-
ple. Our natural resources merely
awaited the discoverer. Our builded
properties represent time and. money
and energy and every one OF these
buildings destroyed through the agency
of the red plague Of fire is an irretriev-
able loss to the community at large.
Between 1901 and 1910 the per
capita loss through FIRE in the United
States was $2.7l as compared to the
total European per capita loss during
the same period of thirty-three cents
and the German per capita loss or
nineteen cents. Between 1900 and
1910 the population Of the United
States increased seventy-three per
cent while the fire loss increased 1874
Der cent. Illinois and her citizens suf-
fered a loss of property by fire last
year of approximately Sll,OOO,OOO.
This loss increased the burden of taxa
ton directly to the property owners
who insure and, indirectly to the Peo-
pie at large in the loss Of taxes on
the property burned. 1t was a ire
mendous drain upon the resources Of
our State. In contrasting the eondi-
tions in Continental Europe, with their
laws regulating the construction and
protection of building and the general
work of fire prevention, with the con-
ditions in this country it appears that
fifty per cent Of the fire waste in Hi
nois and the nation is preyentable.
This Five and One-half Million Dol
lars should be saved to the people of
this State by arousing the public mind
into action in a concerted effort to
minimize the causes of earelessness,
ignorance and arson which have
brought about prevailing conditions
within our State.
Greater even than the loss Of prop
erty is the tremendous loss of life
through the agency of fire. More than
five thousand lives were lost, accord
ing to the statistics, by FIRE last year
in the United States and Canada. The
citizenship of our State should unite
to conserve the property of our people
as we conserve the health and-lives of
the people of this State.
To this end, therefore, it is most
earnestly recommended that Wednes-
day the
NINTH DAY OF OCTOBER, 1912,
which is the forty-frst anniversary of
the great Chicago FIRE, be set aside and
be known throughout the State Of Hi
nois as
FIRE PREVENTIONIDAY,
that on said day all owners of prop
erty shall take steps to see that their
buildings be thoroughly inspected for
the purpose of discovery and removal
Of dangerous conditions therein; that
the civic authorities concerned in the
prevention of fires take steps to call
the attention of the people of their
community to the common FIRE dan
gers and cooperate with them in every
possible way in correcting dangerous
conditions and that our school authori-
ties, both public and private, shall on
the above day conduct such appro-
pirate exercises as will impress upon
the pupils of our schools the danger
of fire and the methods Of its proven
tion and, that in every. school in this
State a FIRE drill shall that day be in
augurated and that these fire drills be
made a permanent feature and prae-
tieed at frequent intervals through the
school year.
In testimony whereof I have here
unto subscribed my name and caused
the great seal of the State of Illinois
to be affixed at the Capitol in the City
of Springfield, this Thirtieth day of
August, A. D. 1912.
CHARLES 8. DENEEN,