The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-08

downtown to-day at a conference with
five OF the members OF tho Underwriters
on this very question, and next Wednes-
day afternoon We are going TO have a
large conference on that subJect--on
how insurance companies can cooperate
with US TO prevent arson.
Il have made this suggestion 10 them
that they are tho logical people to as
sst N this matter that they ought 70
create exactly the same agency Of fire
protection that the American Bankers
Association has 10 prevent bank cheats,
swindlers, forgers and 50 on. The Amer
can Bankers Association retains one
II the leading private detective agencies
N the country to follow up relentlessiy
cyry case OF bank fraud, and | re-
minded the insurance underwriters that
they have one OF the biggest organ!zn-
Ions in tho world; financially speak
ing, one OF the strongest. They al
knew the losses that are caused by
inccndlarism. and It secms 10 me that
they AS an Organization could have no
moro useful activity than this very
hing Of detecting incend!arism.
1--WE are going to take up this prob
EN- next week and VIC are going to
Try to work out plan where they
can ttIb. nave TAKEN AZ up I'It NJ
Headquarters by strengthening the fire
morsha!s' bureau and ! have assigned
Clarence II. Fay. secretary OF the de-
partment. u lawyer and young man
of a great deal OF ability. to that bureau
for the time being and he will take
charge and conduct Investigations. He
will he sort OF prosecuting onicer
and investigator UP there.
.sak nh Go
work of the Bureau OF Fire Prevention.
In tho first place tho orders OF the
bureau have not been treated with suffi-
clent respect by property owners; they
have been ignored. or course that con-
dition Is not going TO be permitted to
exist In future.
"One reason why orders have not been
complied with heretofore is that orders
have been issued In tho past without
sufficient consideration given property
owners. without sufficient inspection, and
some were unnecessary orders. This Is
shown by continual rain OF orders
that pours In here on the Commissioner
for cancellation because n reinspection
shows that they are not necessary. And
the Commissioners time and the time Of
that bureau has been taken up to large
extent In going out and reinspect!ng and
correcting It's own orders. SO the result
has been that property owners do not
pay serious attention to the orders.
For example: A man came In here
last week relative to an order on his
premises. He had not even read the
order. issued two years ago. He said he
had started to read 1t and something
coming up he had laid IL aside and for
gotten Il. We sent that order down to
the Corporation Counsel for prosecution.
This Is by no means the first order we
have sent to the Corporation Counsel
for prosecution.
MY direction TO the Fire Prevention
Bureau has been this: To make every
building in New York as safe as II 10
possible to make It; to issue every order
that Is necessary to bring about that
condition, but to issue no unnecessary
orders; tn bear in mind that the prop-
erty owners have rights that must be
considered: that they must not be ha.
raised by unnecessary orders, but that
they must be required to comply with
necessary orders; that before any orders
are issued wc must have "a careful In
spection-an intelligent inspectlon.-and
be able to defend our order, and when
that order Ia issued intend 10 see that
It IL complied with or we will have tho
Corporation Counsel prosecute under the
law and We have arranged for that in
the manner already stated.