New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1916-04-19
DEPARTMENT LACKS
SUFFICIENT FUNDS
STATE FIRE MARSHAL REPORTS
INABILITY TO COMPLETE
WORK PROPERLY
BROWN co. CITIZENS SUFFER
LOSSES AMOUNTING TO
$25,492,O0.


state fire marshal, Robt. W. Hargadine,
there were 1856 fires in the state during
the past year, endangering property of
the value of $15,O38,040 and damaging
the same to the extent of $4,722,925.
Insurance carried on this amounted to
$16,335,607.
Hennepin county of course leads the
counties both in number of fires and
amount of damage, having 713 fires and
a loss of $1,222,250, with St. Paul
second with SIS fires and property loss
of $1,170,382.
Brown county had 10 fires charged up
against it, causing loss of $25, 1872 to
buildings and contents valued at $86 200.
The insurance carried amounted to only
$4,51O.
One of the queer things to be noted
in the report is the return from Blue
Earth county. Number of fires is given
at Is; value of buildings and contents,
:$113,765; damage to buildings and con-
tents, $159,315; total insurance, $780,
O45. 1t is barely possible that there is
Typographical error in the figures of the
report, but if that is not the case, it
reveals "a peculiar condition. How a
piece of property can be damaged to
greater extent than it's value is conun-
drum and how it can be insured at nearly
$4,000 more than it is worth is another.
The cost rof administration Of Mr..
Hargadine's department, including sala-
ries and all expenses has been $23,596.59
during the year.
p Concluding his report the state fire
marshal makes the following recon1men-
.dations: ~',
AS a result of the experiences Of the
last year it is believed that the State Fire
Marshal's Department could be made
more efficient if the following suggestions
were considered in respect to the present
law:
The act should be so amended as to
give the Department more authority to
investigate, regulate and enforce all laws
in relation to.moving picture theaters in
the State.
The Department should be given
power to prohibit the use of buildings in
which occupancy is hazardous to life
and limb.
A State Building Code should be
enacted which would require the con-
c+,,, o+;ox of oil b,,;ld;,re 1,1;+b;o o,,,
State upon "a safe and sane plane this
code should include regulations pro-
viding for the proper installation of
electric wiring.
In the interests Of deficiency the State
Fire Marshal should be appointed for a
longer term, possibly six years. This
would enable the encumbent to get an
intelligent view of the work headed and
at the.same time ramove: many difficulties
surrounding his duties.
1t has become manifest that the De-
partment should have a larger appro-
priation to carry on the work Effectively.
Under the present system the depart
ment is severely handicapped by lack of
sufficient funds. A force of four deputies
to investigate a territory of $4,000
square miles and safeguard the lives OF
more than two million people is, on its
face, ridiculous. Provision should be
made so as to provide at Least one Deputy
Fire Marshal for territory comprising,
say, one congressional district, making
an even dozen men working all the time
to reduce the ever present menace Of
fire loss in Minnesota.