Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-19
1" SAFETY FIRST"
| TALK BY FIELDER
Nj AND HAUSSL|NG
Governor and Mayor Make Ad-
dresses Before Large Gather
ing in Theatre.

Governor James F. Fielder and
Mayor Jacob Haussling were the
principal speakers at the second an
nual safety first" meeting con-
Quoted by the Lackawanna railroad
in Proctor's Park Place Theatre yes
terday afternoon.
An object lesson in safety first"
was given those present by members
of the Newark Fire Department, de-
tailed to the work of preventing the
overcrowding Of theatres. The crowd
was so great that every aisle and
the sections in the rear of the last
row of seats were jammed early in
the proceedings.
When the theatre fire detail arrived
they found badly congested condi-
ton, but within few minutes every
aisle was cleared and persons were
allowed to stand only in spaces set
apart by the fire department regula-
lions for that purpose.
Fire Commissioner Matthias STRAIT
ton and Acting Chief Towey, Who
were in attendance, were warmly
commended by those in charge vi
the meeting on the methods in vogue
in the 1re department.
The program opened with the
"Star-S pangled Banner" by the or
cbestra and America by the entire
audience. Mayor Haussling made an
address of welcome. He welcomed
the safety first" committee and out
of-town employees of the railroad to
Newark.
He said he was glad of the oppor-
tunity to address the meeting, as ne
had always been heartily in favor or
"safety first" The mayor referred to
the fire prevention exhibit held re-
Gently at the City Hail.
"Only a few years ago." he said,
1--WE were very careless of human life
in America, and there was high
death-rate in this city. We had
great many wrecks, for instance, and
q large number of avoidable &C
cidents. This was not the fault of the
men in charge of the city admins
tration, or of any other body of in
dIviduals exclusively 1t was fault
that was justly chargeable against
our whole body of citizens.
'In the last few years, the death
toll of the railroads has shown a
gratifying decrease. 1 think a great
deal of this latter Improvement is
directly due to the efforts of the
railroad men themselves, for / think
the general @ublic is still very care
less. There is still a great deal for
the railroad men to do in teaching
the people to avoid accidents
"'Safety first is good slogan, and
I should like to see 1t adopted, not
only by the railroad men, but also by
the public itself"
Addresses were made by men on
the firing line:' Edward Burgoyne,
engineer; ]. l.. OConnor, ferryman:
George W. TRIGGER, lighterage depart
ment; Christopher Rasmussen. fire
man: Calvin Peck, foreman bridge
and building department, and Albert
Schroeder, collector of the Lacka-
wanna.
Governor Fielder's Address.
Governor Fielder spoke of the in
creasing appreciation of the impor-
lance of human life. IT feel very
much out of place as speaker at
this meeting" said the Governor,
for | should be here as a listener,
hearing those who are so closely
identified with the Safety First
movement tell what the movement
means. l am glad to be here, how
ever to testify to the great interest
which l take in the movement and
to the interest which all of the peo-
pie whom / represent should take In
the movement.
II am told that there are las rail-
roads operating in this State.
have read somewhere that the num-
Der of victims of railroad accidents
in this State in two years exceeds
the total membership of the National
Guard in this State. When there is
any movement in this State which
has to do with the elimination of the
causes of this large number of
casualties, every man should be
vitality interested In 1t and should do
whatever he can to help that move
ment along and to make 1t a success.
Such q movement as this must work
for the benefit of the railroad men
and for that of the public ITSELF"
Governor Fielder referred to the
decrease in number of accidents
which has attended the safety
First movement and which has fol-
lowed the passage of the workmen's
compensation act
II do not believe the primary pur-
pose of the compensation act was to
pay money to injured men," he said,
'.but to make it expensive for the
employer to allow accidents to occur.
| believe that the best accident in
surance a man can carry is a little
more care in the occupation which
he pursues.'
Speaking of the loss of life in this
State from accidents, the Governor
referred to the present European
struggle and the horror which the