Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-04-26
ELLIE e. JONES. PHONE 22

the railroad company's posted
bulletins and charts are amazed
lat the wonderful results achieved.
demonstrated in the classified
accident and injury reports,
| showing comparisons, month for
month and year for year, wherein
laccldents and injuries of all
|classes are shown to have actu-
Tally been reduced to an almost
unbelievable extent.
Other Industries have insti-
tuted the safety first plan along
similar lines With most praise
worthy results. The public at
large know something of it and
from Maine to California one
hears the familiar slogan. SAT
ETY. First
We all know that the great
corporations have adopted the
safety first movement. We have
heard of the marvellous results.
OF the wonderful decrease in ac-
cidents and loss of life commonly
due TO preventable causes,
through this combination of
knowledge, coupled with intelli-
gent cooperative action. We all
admit its worth. Now in view of
the above mentioned lamentable
accident, which is but one of
daily like occurrence, somewhere
throughout this great world,
many like this one, which might
have been prevented only for lack
lof any. systematic or organized
method i'm the average commun-
llty for the removal of each and
every known preventable cause
for an accident. Why not ex-
tend the safety first movement
to every community? masmuch
as such vast number of these
fearful accidents have been
proven to have been due to pre-
fNentable causes, would il not be
we'll worth while to have created
"A public safety committee in
each and every village throughout
the land, to encourage the people
to Immediately report to its, local
safety committee the existence of
any. of each and every dangerous
or unsafe condition noticed at
any place. at any time by anyone,
the committee to Investigate at
once, being empowered to use
means for the removal, or hav-
ing removed, of absolutely each
and every dangerous condition so
reported. Enlist the boy scouts
i'm the movement. What a power
they would be? Educate the
public to tell the boy scouts. !"
whenever dangerous condition
has been noticed any place, the
scouts then to report to the SAT-
icty committee. whose duty will be
to see TO the correction of same.
Enlist the local daily papers to
run headline, safety First .
beneath which should appear a
; brief explanation and an invita-
tion TO the public to tell the boy
scouts. or to drop note to the
local safety committee advising
that department of any dangerous
condition. great OF small which
may be noticed at any time by
anyone.
just stop and consider if you
: |cannoi recall al least one. or per-
haps several places right now
IWherc more or less dangerous
condition exists. upon The street.
highway, about public place,
bridge, building or crossing. an
old delapidatcd building where
children play, liable TO fall at any
time. steep bank liable to cave
and catch someone, rusty nails
sticking up i'm board walks. an
abrupt turn in a road or street
dangerous and poorly lighted
etc, etc. Scarcely one of us but
who has i'm mind some such con-
: diliOn somewhere. We know OF
the existence of these dangerous
: places and things which might
ACTUALLY cause somebody TO gel
hurt sometime, but owing to the
fact that there is no organized
. plan or handy method for getting
fright afler, in a systematic man
=. ner and removing these danger
Gus conditions, we are apt to feel
no individual responsibility and
then when some terrible thing
: happens which might have been
prevented, we are likely to sew
cral of us say, why, l always
knew that was dangerous. | have
D IOften remarked that they ought
n TO fix it, etc Why can't some
: body start such cooperative
/. movement right now! Let clubs
: and gatherings agitate it. Have
created one or two salaried Of
j fices ITO stimulate the proper
zesU, filled by competent men OF