Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-10

their application, each covering a pro-
portionate amount upon evory piece OF
property and in blanket form. Tnis
property Is widely scattered. being To-
Gated In sixty-two different places, and
| thus insurance companies can carry
large lines. The risk was offered to
every fire Insurance company authorized
10 do business In Vermont. and is carried
ny forty-four companies, each writing
from $3.50 to S125,OW
The average rate conceded by the COM
panies upon this unusually good line OF
business was Sl.53 per 500 for i've years,
the premium aggregatng materially less
to the state than the same amount OF
protection would have cost at the rates
upon the individual risks as formerly
insured This premium has been paid
by the state treasurer and charged up
to the different departments as nearly
according to the relative hazard of each
class of property as possible
| Although the policies being written In
1911 for five years made a large proper
| ttOnate expense 'for insurance in that
biennial term. arrangements have been
made for the rewriting Of nth of tho
amount in each of the succeeding four
|
will he distributed evenly in each year.
| The insurance had previously been con-
trolled by Only n few agents. 1t SEEM
cd TO be the most just and equitable
division Of benefits nccruing, to divide 1t
as equally as possible among the lead
Ing agencies. and, as now written. eigh-
ty-thrce Vermont agents have n proper
Tomato amount to place.
Since the Insurance was placed one
| fire has occurred. whereby the equip
inent of Co. +, V. N. c.. at Bellows
| Falls. was destroyed. March -. 1912. The
Insurance upon this property previous
| to the revision made last year was only
$780, but under the new contract the full
amount Of the cash loss, $500? s.. vas
paid. thereby demonstrating the wisdom
of the Encouragement of the insurance
and the benefits to be derived from the
present indemnity contract.
| earnestly recommend that legislation
be enacted that will thoroughly protect
| tho property of our state in an cconom-
ical and businessl!ke manner. | am ad-
vised that certain States protect or carry
their own risks hut this policy would
have been most unfortunate had it been
adopted in Vermont. A review of the
States losses for the last fifty years
fully iustiies this conclusion.
FIRE PROTECTION.
| The consideration Of the fire protection
Of the States property leads naturally
\ TO the subject Of our general fire prOtec-
ton as governing In our Commonwealth.
| Losses by fire are entirely different
| from other disasters. Failures. panics.
etc, simply cause the change OF owner
ship. The property still exists in the
hards of others. but losses by iira com.
plctely wipe OUT the property whether
owned by the people or the Common
wealth, and tho loss c,entually and in
variably falls upon the people
| With this fact firmly in mind | have
been reviewing the statistics of fire
losses and premiums paid for fire pro-
lection during the last ten to twelve
years. In 1901 the Losses by fire paid in
Vermont were s475. sSoo5 These have in
creased TIL You will note that loss by fire
paid in 1910 was s916 l2..77, almost
doubled in ten years and this does not
include the uninsured property or that
only partially insured.
You will note that losses by ilr- in 1919
| were fully million dollars and when
we realize that we have population of
only about 36n'r VIC learn that our per
, capita loss is s. S6. while the per cnpit;,
| loss In the United states was S.23 Thus
| our average Of per capita loss Is % per
| cent. higher than for the average of our
national fact worthy of your attention.
and especially so if you realize that
the percapita loss by fire of the five
leading nations of Europe for the year of
l3l" was 50 cents.
Surely Vermont is not abreast with our
neighboring States in control of the fire
problem, and study of their statutes
on this subjcc; should be for the great
benefit of our people. our fire losses
are far greater than they should he and
thus would earnestly suggest that this
subject have your careful attention.
OUR DEGENERATEs.
This is subject which has never re-
ceived special attention by the Legisa-
ture of our state. | have endcavorod
during the last two years to inform my
self thoroughly upon the same. having
cOrresponded with the secretaries OF
twenty or more Of our most progressive
States to learn what was being done
with reference to this unfortunate class.
have obtained copies OF their laws and
made a careful study of the same, ana
the more ! have considered the subject
tine more largely has Its Importance APP
pca!ed TO me. 1t ia a subject of deli
cate as we'll as an unpleasant nature.
The heads of our criminal institutions
tell us that among the inmates there Is
| always IA considerable class that are
termed 'degcnerates or "defectives,
by which IS meant class Of individuals
IN whose mental or nervous construction
there is something lacking Alienists
crin.inaloststs and physicians tell lis
that individuals of this unfortunate class
tend to marry those cursed with similar
defects, and that this class is increasing
out of all proportion to the normal
growth OF the population and that mos,
of the insane the epleptcs, the i'm
| beetles. the idiots. the sexual perverts
together with many of the confirmed IN
ebriates prostitutes tramps and Grimm
ais that mi our penitentiaries. 1ails
asylums and poor farms are the results
OF these intermarriagcs or the natural
offspring OF defective parents. In tho
cases of these unfortunates there is lit
tie or no hope of permanent recovery
and the great question that is now be
Ing considered by the lawmakers in
| many of our States Is how best to re-
strain the defective class and how hes;
to restrict the propagation of defective
children.
Let Us consider this matter upon these