Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1916-10-20
FOR PUBLIC SAFETY
NATION HAS BEEN AWAKENED
TO GREAT NEED.
Prevention of Industrial Accidents and
Casualties in Conflagrations Is
the Object of Association OF
National Scope.


Is the bitterness of dozen years
ago passing out of industry? Are en-
ployers becoming more humane? Is
the public conscience awakening to the
sin of omission as well as commission2
Is the human element receiving recog-
milton as the most precious asset of
our nation?
sour state pays the salaries of more
than a hundred game and fish wardens
to protect the beasts of the fields and
the fowls of the air and the fishes of
of our streams. What does 1t contrib
ute toward the protection of the work
ers in the industries?" asked q labor
organizer in a public meeting.
Ask the question today and the an
swer will come from the national gov
eminent at Washington, from every
state capital, from almost every city
hall, from every church and school,
and, probably the truest barometer of
I'LL, from thousands of our largest en-
ployers, and from the best-posted In
dustrial leaders.
| Nor does the movement stop with
the Industrial accident. Twin cause of
sorrow and misery of industrial acct
dent, fire takes toll in mine explosion
and conflagration, but more often in
the home. In Chicago last year 300
persons were seriously injured by
burns or scalds. One-half of this num-
Der died, majority of whom were
| little children. An association. of ma
tional scope has taken this matter in
hand and is accomplishing wonderful
results.
Railroads and accidents were almost
synonymous terms dozen years ago.
Last year the managers of 312 rail-
roads reported to the government that
not one passenger lost his life through
rations reported a reduction from. 81
to 30 per cent In number of accidents
and an even larger percentage In re-
| duction of fatal accidents.
Last year a dozen governors of
middle western states made proclama-
ton of Fire Prevention day-usually
setting the date on October 9-the an
niversary of the date of the famous
| OIeary bovine incident at Chicago.
Accident Prevention day was pro-
claimed in a hundred cities and in a
thousand industries. This year two
great agencies, the National Fire Pro-
lection association and the National
Safety council, have Joined forces, and
Fire Prevention day viii hereafter be
known as Fire and Accident Proven
ton day, being inaugurated by ma.
tional proclamation by President vii.
son.
| More than score of governors have
Indicated their intention of Joining In
the movement through proclamations,
Hundreds of chambers of commerce
will take part and two thousand indus
tries will set aside some portion of
their activity toward making the day
a success.
The spirit of cooperation In accident
and fire prevention now pervades every
department of public and private ac-
tivity. The national government
through the department of labor and
the bureau of mines, Is accomplishing
splendid work, and the hundreds OF
thousands of dollars expended In edu.
cational work is probably the best
known and appreciated of ali our gov.
ernmental functions. Every state in
the Union has made a start, and In q
score or more the work is well under
way. A hundred or more municipali-
ties have well-developed departments
of public safety, while street traffic
regulations, cleanup campaigns and
similar public responsibilities are now
cheerfully accepted by even the
smaller cities and villages.
The spirit of the up-to-date employer
was summarized by hard-headed Wis
consin business man a few days ago
''If the organization of our workmen
into safety inspection committees had
not prevented a single accident, the
change in attitude which the safety
work has brought about ON the part OF
the officers toward the men, and the
change of attitude of the workmen
toward the company has more than re-
paid US for our efforts" By carefully
| odltS udIdlHS IdCliilcIy, dtCldcnls
were decreased one-third.
"Who burns to death in the Ameri-
can homer asks ii. w. Forster, a
prominent official of the National Fire
| Protection Association. "The bus-
bands, fathers and big brothers? Not
often. The wives and mothers and
the children, especially the little chill
dren. In hundreds of homes all over
our fair land each year there comes
the crushing sorrow of a dead mother
or child, burned to death, In almost
every case, because of the criminal
disregard which we as a nation have
for the most elemental principles OF
safety from fire. Each year we lose
through this agency almost 1000 OF
our most precious assets-our chill
dren.
''Fire causes 5000 deaths, renders
10000 people homeless, and causes a