Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-20

t | Inspection ser'i1o p"'"'''o0
tNpo,;,ics which hamstrung the fire in
..,o,,on service maintained by the Depart
wont of Public Safety has placed an addi-
,,,,sl overhead charge of $4,000 year on
.,rcbants in the central business district
Of the city
1nspection of buildings in the central
business section of Philadelphia, bounded
w. both rivers and South and Spring Gar
asn streets, was efficiently performed dur
inc the Blankenburg administration by
.IsbtvA freInen detailed from fire stations
~ this purpose This inspection resulted
IN the removal of 100000 piles of rubbish
wear. abolished many other fire risks,
educated tenants of the $4,000 buildings in
the congested business area and cut down
the fire losses enormously.
Under the Smith regime the number of
Aremen detailed from the various fire houses
FOR this inspection work has fluctuated be-
tween eight and twenty. the fire hazard has
Increased and the underwriters absolutely
refuse to remove $4,000 in blue Slip
charges. These are added to regular insur-
ance premiums in the district and will con-
tinue TO be, added until the inspection serv-
Ice Is resumed
This means that Philadelphia merchants
Aened with s25,0OO additional overhead
charge to plague them in their competition
with merchants of other cities and other
4 sections of this city. Not only that. but
they face continually the risk of fire that
may at any time blot out their business
places, destroy their stocks and cause tre-
mendoIs loss. All because politics. as Pow
ell Evans puts it, is allowed to ruin the eff
hciency of the. Department of Public
Safety.
This matter of fire inspection. which is
really prevention work of the highest order,
was inaugurated in 1914, and reached it's
highest efficiency in 1916" said Powell
! Evans today. Mr.. Evans is chairman of
Of the committee on fire prevention and i'm
surance of the Chamber of Commerce.
''There is a total of $4,000 in added
blue-slip charges on central business prop,
erty," he continued "The underwriters as
sure us they will take off $4,000 the
moment the water pressure and general
water service through the section is i'm
proved by the city, and the other S25, 900
the moment the full efficient fire inspection
service is resumed. This would remove
the blue-slip charges altogether.
POLITICS REPLACES BUSINESS
81 don't think we have business man.
agement of the city now; we have more
politics than administration at the present
talking to those who know. If they have
good reason for curtaiing this inspection
service, let them state it. If they have no
good reason, let them increase their inspec.
ton service
DIRECTOR BLAMES COUNCILS
Director Wilson. of the Department of
Public Safety, insisted today that he was
for fire, inspection work heart and soul but
fell back upon the excuse that the fire de-
partment is shy 36S uniformed men, and
placed the blame upon Councils for not sup
plying them. He failed to explain how the
Bankenburg administration could maintain
Its efficient service when laboring under the
same disadvantage. Nor did he mention
the fact that Councils and the present, ad.
ministraton work hand-in-hand and there
is no reason, as has been pointed out b,
friends Of the inspection system, why tbs
additional firemen wanted could not be au
thorized.
Il think fire prevention is the most i'm
portant work of the fire bureau" Director
wilson admitted. 1T is done under direc
ton of the Fire Marshal. To bring the in
specton force up to its full complement
now would seriously deplete the forces il
.ne hre stations. The only solution is al
increase In the number of hosemen"
MARSHAL ELLIOTTS COMMENT
Fire Marshal Elliott admitted that tn,
torce had fallen to. eight or ten men re
gently, as charged by Powell Evans, bu
SAD 1t had been brought up to twenty me,
On duty today, and he promised that mex
month forty men would be put at the worl,
as ior the statement of Powell Evans tha
szo'oOO would be removed as a blue-sli,
cN@rge when the inspection service was re
sumed in full, he said that was all. poppy
COCK His belief was that the charge viii
remain anyhow, inspection service or no in
spection service, He agreed that preyen
ston OF fire by close inspection of fire risk
was good plan.
bearing out the statement of Powell
Evans concerning the increase in fire losse
Sst year, figures of the insurance patro
snow snow 1888 fires In 1916. total loss s2,55S,
SVo' as compared with 1856 fires the YEA
before, loss s1.S54,9OO.
Mr' Evans's statement concerning tn
uropping OF the $4,000 blue slip charge fol
W"eu conference with the underwater
.everai weeks ago. There were present a
u,is meeting representatives of the Philadel
ph'a FIRE Underwriters Association j. S
Manory, former Philadelphia fire marsha
snu secretary of the Philadelphia Fire Pre-
n.lon Commission, and the committe
s'oh the Chamber of Commerce.