Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-01-05

In tramping through Belgium with
a companion before the war MI
Wentworth dwelt on the beauty OF
it, it's cathedraIs, it's clean towns
and cities, it's well kept land. the
handiwork of the peasants and es-
pecially the perfect elimination of
waste. all of which the Germans so
ruthlessly desecrated.
Coming from Boston Sunday he
looked upon all sorts of waste, by
the roadside and over the hills and
dales. Anyone, he asserted, VINO
travels throughout the country eX-
tensively must have sinking of the
heart when they look upon the waste
of the American people.
In the west are standing hundreds
of thousands of blackened stumps
swept by fire and left to rot. In the
great northwest with its large 1or-
ests the woodsmen are cutting out
the great trees and leaving the cut
tings strewed here and there, making
a great pile of combustible material
ready to be ignited by the careless
w flung match or cigarette, or oy
the chance spark from the locomo-
tiyes. resulting in far sweeping for
est fire. Waste, just waste. =
Millions Of feet of building timber
are wasted each year by the care
less and profigate methods OF Am
ericsn lumbermen. In Nevada ana
in many other places throughout the
country, great forests covering the
canons and hills are scared, black
4 f,y tho forest nre.
Mr.. Wentworth spoke OF man
whom he saw light cigar ana care
lessly throw the match beneath the
window of the hotel in which ne was
staying. Immediately the costly lace
curtain fared up and the $500 plate
glass window fell crashing to the
floor. This is but one instance OF the
feeling Of carelessness typical OF the
American people. There are many
different kinds of waste in the coun-
fry hut the most senseless 1s the
waste by fire. which through ordl-
nary precautions could be prevented.
From the time that our forefathers
settled on the New England coast
and started cutting the trees TOT va
rious purposes it has been bred IN US
that our supply Of timber was IN
exhaustible Rather than save ana
conserve these resources, which are
growing smaller each day. the Amer
lean people burn and build again.
and thus every action costs us $780,
coz. 900 every years. $4,000 an hour, or
$500 a minute, day after day.
It's economic significance is not yet
clear to the people Of the country.
Most persons in the reading of an
account Of a fire, whether large or
small, and seeing that the property
destroyed is covered by insurance.
merely shrug their shoulders not
realizing that they help pay this in
surance Fire insurance is woven
through our whole economic life. our
credits and our entire business and
commercial life, and we pay for 1t
indirectly, though we do not realize
it as it is levied through an indirect
tax. Take cotton for instance, it is
insured by the bale as it rests ready
for shipment, it is insured on the
raildooad platform, in the warehouses
and in the stores. All the way along
it bears the fire tax, but concealed.
Indirect taxation is the basis Of the
fire tax.
Human life destroyed by firo aver
ages from 10000 to $4,000 each year
and much Of it is caused by care
'lessness. children playing with
matches. overlooking Of cook stoves.
careless handling of gasoline and
other combustibles and many other
causes each Of which may be traced
to thoughtlessness.
The lecturer spoke Of General John
]. Pershing. the idol of the people.
greeted by thousands in New York.
cheered throughout the country, yet.
whose heart must hold a heavy scr-
row, for at the Preside army camp
in California one evening in the
generals household q wire screen be-
fore ar omen firenlaca wnS DlaCed in