The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1913-09-20
GOV. HALL FIXES DAY
FOR FIRE PREVENTION

Coy. Hall has fixed Oct. as fire pre-
vention day, and issued the following
proclamation to the people of the
state:
"The fire loss of this country, amount
| ing to over quarter of billion dollars
annually, is one of the greatest drains
upon the wealth and resources of the
nation. 1t is an irretrievable loss, not
mere transference of ownership. Sta
tistics show that every year $500 lives
are lost and over 5000 persons MAIN
ed as the result of fires. 1t is indis-
putable that two-thirds of this great
waste and loss of life can be avoided,
that most of the fires are due to care
llessness and preventable causes, and
urgently call for remedial action on
THE part of the people and their Off
Gals.
Therefore, /, L. E. Hall, governor
of the State of Louisiana, do issue this
lmy proclamation, naming Oct. 3, the
Iforty-third anniversary Of the great
Chicago fire, as fire prevention day.
| 4 earnestly urge the people OF the
Estate to observe this day by thorough
lcleaning up and removal of all rubbish.
trash and waste from their premises;
| that all fiues and heating apparatus
\ be INSPECTED and made safe for the
winter; that schools, hotels, asylums,
4 factories and theatres be looked after,
their safety secured; that fire drills be
held in department stores, factories,
public, private and commercial schools
and that the teachers instruct their pu-
pills through short talks on the dangers
lof fires and method of prevention"
State Fire Marshal C. H. Trousdale
has given out the following:
at is cheaper and easier to prevent
fires than to extinguish them.
"The solution of the fire waste prob
lem lies in fire prevention. Fire pre-
vention is nothing more than con
lstructing, protecting and occupying
buildings SO as to minimize the danger
of fire. The people must be laugh
THAT it is irrational to spend million!
! a year in putting out fires and scarcel.
Ianything for fire prevention. 1t woul'
:, cost infinitely less to prevent than t.
: extinguish them. With proper precau
tions taken by property owners an
: property holders at least so per cen
!. of the fire waste would be eliminated
"The annual fire loss of Wester
j Europe is 80 cents per capita and tn
:, number of fires for every 10000
3 eight. In the United States the pc
capita loss is So and the number
fires for every 10000 population
forty. Berlin, with population
B 100000, has an annual fire loss
{ $175,000. Chicago, with populatio
q of 1000 600, has an annual fire loss
2 $5,OOO,000. Berlin appropriates $3O(
b 600 for it's Fire Department. Chicat
y lappropriates $S,OO0,OO0. These fgur'
4 gathered by the Department OF Coz
z merce and Labor shows that Chicago
3 fire loss is twenty-eight times that
SA Berlin, Notwithstanding that Chical
e spends ten times as much for its FL
b Department.
& "The whole question resolves itst
q into fire prevention The old type
- fireman who says: Let me get
e 1t and / will put tout is passing. 7
- new type says: Don't let it occur
4 "The per capita fire loss OF So is
s tax as actual as if every man, WON
e and child paid the tax collector
~ tevery year. What little attention
- paid to this great question! People
- lon with minds befuddled and with
B. belief that the fire insurance com
8 Inies pay the losses. They don't I'll
merely collect and distribute the ia
~ at is easy to reduce this loss; abb
- so per cent of this loss is the result
A> individual carelessness, indifferer
3 lpoor physical conditions of constr
8 ton, protection and occupancy.
lgreat breeder of fire is rubbish, de
~ tive flues and faulty heating al
-, Iratus."