Norwich bulletin., 1913-04-01
BOARD OF TRADE
 ANNUAL BANQUET
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| (Continued from page five) 1 CTS, in our houses, on our tables on l our mantelpieces. in our coat pockets l in our waistcoats, in the closets. If we wake up in the middle of the night and reach out and cannot find a match we feel insulted Every match is a. potential conf1agration. every fire is Of the same size when it starts. No match should be admitted inside a home except the variety which ignites only on the box. No father who has proper regard for his family will al- 1 low a strike anywhere match in his 1 home.
 Inspection System. The mental habits of people are vital factor in affecting social pro- gress. It is the mental habit of our people to assume that fire departments are maintained for the exclusive pur- pose of exttnguishing fires. It is ob- vfous, however. that fire departments have large possibilities for service in preventing fires; service which is, I regret to say, yet largely potential Every fireman, from the chief engineer down to the drivers and pipe men, should be regularly detailed for in spection service. Three or four hours week for each man, going into base m tents, attics. courts and alleys, keep ing down accumulations of rubbish which spring up over ntght-locating the storage Of fnf1ammab ble oils and explosives, would keep the city clear of It's most persistent fire dangers Every fireman should in turn cover every section in the course of six months. One would thus check up the inspections of the other, and local conditions would become a matter for educatfve conversation about, head quarters.
 Fire Prevention Day.
 The American people are not dull in comprehension nor are they slow to act once the necessities of a situation are made clear to them. The awak- ening of the present year manifested by the observance of Fire Prevention Day in many of the cities of the United States; by the appointment of fire marshals and the amendment of fire marshal laws and by the teach ing of the fire hazards In many pub lie schools, indicates that we a people will not much longer tolerate our pitiful impoverishment by the fire waste. It is true that so long as our wooden cities stand they must occa- sionally suffer disastrous fires with, oftentimes, shocking loss of life; but with the growing disposition to hold our citizens personally responsible for their carelessness before the bar of public opinion, many of our most pro life causes of fire will disappear.
 Hon. Edwin W. Higgins.
 Hon. Edwin W. Highs, with row ing commission for his address. was the next speaker to be introduced by the toastmaster.
 The congressman said In part:
 The invitation SC graciously extend ed by our president placed no restric tions upon me as to time or subject 1t carried the suggestions. however, that the members of the Board of Trade would be glad to hear about the tariff or other legislation in Washington. Fear not. l shall not indulge in the realms of prophecy, nor Is this the place to make too many predictions. You will recall that last year there there were more ex-memberS of con- gress turned loose on the fourth of March than ever before in the history of the country, and they can all tell you how it happened. We have just dispensed with the services of chief executive who. whateS CT his short conings may have been, proved him. self both a good fighter and a good loser.
 An Ambitious Programme.
 By no means have I forsaken my political convictions of a life time, but I do wish for the new administration It's full measure of success. The tariff
 Is to be revised. without injury to our industries The currency reformed money devil shorn of his power. and capital continue to. be responsive. The cost of living reduced, and the wage scale maintained. This is an ambitious and a worthy programme and one that concerns us all. Several schools of pe iitieaI thought are battling in the country for supremacy. The outcome is of immense import to everyone.
 We are liVinr in a. rapid age and be-