The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-09-30
FIRE PREVENTION DAY.
Gov. Mead Issues His Second Proclama.
ton Regarding Fire.
A Proclamation.

The immense and steadily increasing
fire losses in our states and nation arr
and should be the only argument neces'
sary to stimulate our people to an active
campaign to eliminate or largely reduce
this burdensome and total waste of life
and property.
The five mutual fire insurance com
panies of our state alone during the
year ending August !. 1911, paid to their
policyholders and for expenses S5l8,5S0,
and for the year ending August /, 1912
these same five companies paid for the
same purposes S537 ,632, showing an in
crease of over s2l 900 in these mutual
companies alone Add to the above the
losses sustained by the stock companies
in Vermont. and the aggregate loss will
largely exceed one million of dollars an
nually in Vermont.
The aggregate loss OF property in our
country for the year of 1911 was in eA.
cess OF S2lT 100000, over 100000 in
excess OF the fire losses of 1910, and, in
addition, in 1910 nearly $50 persons died
in buildings destroyed by fire, and near
~ 1920 lost their lives as the result
OF burns, and when it is estimated that
many OF these lives and fully Sl50,00o,-
600 of this loss OF property is due to
carelessness and should have been pre-.
vented, this subject should appeal to us
as one surely of great Importance.
The social as well as the economic
welfare of our people is ever improved
through educational methods, and thus
il has seemed advisable to call the at
tention of the citizens of our state to
those conditions which are permitting
this immense loss and urge them to care
fully consider those methods which
should surely prevent one-half of this
waste of life and property.
Believing that the welfare of Vermont
so demands, I, John A. Mead, governor,
do hereby designate Wednesday. the 9th
day Of October, A. ID. 1912, as Fire Pre-
vention day, and do hereby call upon
the people TO devote the day to inspect
ing their buildings and premises, thor
oughly removing all unsightly and com
bustible material to carefully repair
ing and cleaning all parts of their heat
ing apparatus. All SCOT and ashes should
winter use Boards of education should
their charge. City and village authori-
ties should cooperate with them and
with the public generally in the adop.
ton and enforcement of such rules and
regulations as will prevent this enormous
and constant drain upon the resources
Of our state. The superintendents and
of our schools should carefully
consider this eminent danger. Fire drills
should be had regularly, and every means
Of safety provided | invite the pub
lie press to take an active part in awak-
ming the public to the Importance of
his movement and impress upon every
sense of responsibility to
his neighbor and himself, to the end that |
he loss of life and property by fire may |
,e reduced to a minimum.
Let us remember that our per capita |
oss annually by fire in Vermont is S296, |
twenty-five per cent. higher than the
average per capita loss in the United |
States, nine times as large as that of
he average per capita loss of the five
eadng nations of Europe.
As another has said: america is a !.
Iation OF money makers-Europe ma
ion of money savers. America figures |
hat the most important thing is TO
make a dollar-Europe, that it is equally |
to save one.
America regards a fire as a misfor-
une and one sympathizes with the man
Who has had one-Europe regards fire
$ the result of crime, and they inves-
igate and if possible punish the man
Who is guilty
eve figure that the insurance company
estores the loss-they, that the insur-
nee company indemnifies the owner for
loss, which can never be restored. Our
upreme effort is to extinguish fires
heirs, to prevent them.
Eve are losing a fortune every day
hey are saving one
Should we not, then, endeavor to profit
y their example, the result of two thou
and years of experienced
Given under my hand and
LSeal.[ the great seal of the state.
this twenty-seventh day of
eptember. in the year of our Lord one
thousand nine hundred an| .-'~l"~ -