The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1921-09-30
5000 BURNED
TQDEATH, 1920,
\ 10000 HURT

10 dessh with prS kimstly 10000
i.iured a iarys) peri tentsse d whom
wAereinjuded permanently and made
. public charge on our citizenship. T.
Alfred Fleming, of the National
Boardiof Fire Underwriters Of New
York City told the Automotive sec
Zion Of the National Safety Council
congress here yesterday.
A classification OF these losses
shows that over 10 per cent are wom-
en- and children of school age and
under. This classification shows that
the home and the school have been
neglected in our great scheme OF safe
ty education. It also shows the ef-
fectivpness of the general campaign
OF safety in the shop and factory.
"Co-incident with this loss of life,
the destructionA OF property during
1920 Jas quoted by Mr.. w. Z. MALTA
lieo. general manager of the Nation
al boSrd of Fire Underwriters almost
doubled that OF any previous year OF
our history, reaching an enormous
totalIfSf over s5O5,oo .ooo--whieh
does mot include the stupendous
losses' in forestry. 30 per cent OF
which is due tSscereiessness Of oiti-
xens. This waste Of our national
wealth OF nearly one and one-half,
millions day is paid for every citi-
zen Of the nation. 1t is generally con-
sidered that these losses are borne
largely by insurance companies which
Il true but insurance companies are
only collecting and distributing agen-
oies and of necessity are compelled
to require increased rates to cover
Increased losses, Every product pur-
chased for the home or for the fac
tory has in its cost to the consumer
an amount to cover the insurance and
overhead cost.
It Is the largest and most unnec-
essary leakage of the country's re-
sources, and is almost. entirely avoid
able and unnecessary. /.
paul C. 'Redington Of the Forest
~ Division Of f-the United States. In
an address in California recently
stated that Of 2O.244 forest fires
caused by campers last year. 76 per-
cent or over 5000 we're due to
smokers carlessness. II would seem
that the only way to obviate these
tremendous losses Of life and proper
ty would be to conduct the longest
possible continuous campaign OF edu-
cation for their elimination.
"The sections where safety has
been most neglected are In the Home
and School. II is an appalling fact
that not one business man out OF
every 200 has ever applied the know
ledge OF safety he has used In his
factory to his home. He has forgot
ten to call a cabinet meeting Of
the members OF his family and ser
wants to instruct them how to turn In
an alarm. how to extinguish fire in
lts incipiency. how to avoid danger |
from articles used In the home and
how to use the extinguisher he has
In other words, financial
value in production has 1000 PEE
cent more care and oversight thar
The priceless jewels OF human life in
The home, and yet the nation is only
is large or as strong as its homes.
similar negligence Is shown In
he care. maintenance and construc-
ion of our schools. A very small per-
,entage of the members OF our pre-
'ent Boards. Of Education have. as
umed more than the financial bur
len OF school activities while they
re equally, responsible for the moral
md physical safety OF each child un-
Ter their care, There is great dis
egard Of properly established rules
n the construction of new buildings
nd the remodeling of old structures
{ has been found by experts, that
yer 80 per cent OF the school build
ngs are more unsafe either struct-
rally or in maintenance than the
'ollinwood school when 1t burned
ausing the, death of 173 children
nd three teachers Over 8 schools
urn In the United States for each I
ay OF the year. Trifles due to care s
'ssness or through 4thoughtfulnsss !
re the causes of the, largest peroj
sntage of fire 'casnaities and conf
agrations.- 4
1T has been said by an eminent s
athority that 10 per cent OF our q
ss Of life is due to unprotected ver- 4
cal openings. firmly believe this U
true. II is the vertical opening left : :
protected that allows the fire to y
'read through the building or to the /,