The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-02-21
To DIMINISH FIRE HAZARD.
Louisiana State Society for Reduc-
Mon of Fire Waste Sends Deiega-
ton to Confer with City and
School Authorities and Citizens.

School Authorities and Citizens.
A committee representing the LOU
isiana State Society for the Reduc-
ton of Fire Waste, composed of
Alonzo Church, vice president; r. A.
Hopkins, assistant secretary, and
Joseph. B. Russell, of the Hibernia
insurance Company, all of New Or
leans, visited Donaldsonville We'd
nesday for the purpose Of making
an inspection of the business dis
trict with a view to offering recon-
mendations wherever necessary for
diminishing the fire hazard, and
were Hospitality received by Mayor
Walter Lemann and prominent citi-
zens. The party was later joined by
Hon. Alvin E. Hebert, secretary OF
state and ex-officio insurance COM
missioner.
At 8 o'clock Wednesday forenoon
the students and teachers of the
Donaldsonville High School were ad-
dressed by Mr. Church, who is the
special agent for Louisiana of the
Insurance Company Of North Ameri-
ca and the Alliance Insurance Com
pany of Philadelphia. The speaker
alucidated the aims and objects of
the society and stressed the import
ance of fire prevention as distin-
guished from fire extinction, Incl
dentally calling attention to the ter
rible loss of life in this country from
preventable fires and the Indifference
of our citizens to this most import
ant and vital subject. It was shown
that although majority of the fires
which occur are due to easily pre-
yentable causes, no community is
exempt, least of all Donaldsonville,
with its many frame buildings. (This
point was accentuated later by an
inspection Of public places of amuse-
ment in which hazardous, but easily
preventable conditions We're found to
exist. Mayor Lemann thought there
would be no difficulty in having cor
rections made of these defects).
Mr.. Church dWelt at some length
upon the immense and unnecessary
loss Of property by fire, and the
economic effect of such loss upon
the community and the country as
whole. 1t was shown that the in
surance companies do not in the
final analysis pay any part of this
loss, but that it falls upon each in
dividual citizen or consumer. The
fact was demonstrated that this great
loss, or waste, in our country is far
in excess of that of any European
community, and is largely preventa-
BILE; and that it is due in large part
to the lack of ordinary precautions in
heating and lighting, and in ne
elect of ordinary care in house
keeping. again was this point later
demonstrated by the inspection of
the premises of some of our lead
ing business houses, where defect
i've arrangement Of stoves, ranges,
heaters, stove pipes, accumulations Of
rubbish, etc. were pointed out).
The causes leading to the ex-
cessive fire waste in this country
were detailed by the speaker, but
the chief cause, it was declared, is
the "temperamental hazard" which
was defined as the don't give a
Dc" disposition Of the public.
Mr.. Church urged that more at
tention be paid to this subject, as
" Tile gu cat " eIoGC Ii jill Eli ID III
large part due the increased cost of
living, the alarming Increase in pow
6rty, and the general financial and
Industrial depression from which
many portions of our country are
now suffering.
Wednesday afternoon at 8 O'Clock
another tall1s to the high school stu
dents and faculty was made by Sec
rotary of State Alvin Hebert, who
expressed his hearty concurrence in
the great work being done by the
Fire Reduction Society, and explained
that tn best way to reduce fire in
surance rates is to reduce the num-
Der of fires, which can be accom-
plished by the adoption of simple,
common-sense precautions.
Wednesday night, in the high school
auditorium, Mr. Church and his as
sociates conferred with the mayor
and prominent citizens as to the
best method of putting into effect
some of the precautions and ideas
suggested by him. AS result it
is proposed to organize the boys
Of the high school into class for