The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-01-13
SEES In CHILDREN HOPE
OF REDUCING FlAE LOSE,
George r. Percy Says Education Car
Be Made To Count With Them
Not With Adll.ts-State Towns III
crease Apparatus.

Is is through the children, rather
than by any appeal to adults tina,
those interested in fire prevention
hope to reduce the heavy annual loss
from destruction of life and proper
~. This loss in Maryland, outsIGs
the city OF Baltimore, was nearly
100000 in 1920. Figures fol
1921 are not yet available, as ac-
counts is taken only of adjusted loss
es but it is believed they Will show a
slight increase in the number Of
fires, but a decline in the total dam
age The total number of fires re
ported during the year to George Il.
Percy, chief of the Fire Inspection
Bureau as the State Insurance De
partment, is 1921 but the list. is MOI
yet complete.
Would Train Children
eve older fellows have formed
our habits" sad Mr.. Percy yester-
day, lighting his pipe and throwing
the match through the open. window
land it is by systematic training OF
the children in carefulness in all
things which might start contiagra
ton that we must expect to accom-
plish anything. The campaign on
that line is we'll under way and al
ready has done considerable good.
cat the beginning of the schcOt
year I sent out to every teacher III
the public schools and to the, schooj
authorities generally a circular leT-
ter urging the Importance of teaching
fire prevention and Of fire drills. III
addition to this I put in all the time
can spare visiting the larger
schools, giving lectures and con-
Quoting drills. We caused to be put
into the hands of one pupil in every
family QUESTIONABLE covering the
fire hazards at his own home, and We
believe this has resulted in some OF
these hazards being corrected. This
QUESTIONABLE concerns particularly
accumulations of inflammable rub
bish in attics and cellars, faulty con
struction of chimneys and the use. o.
gasoline and kerosene. 1t also Gov
ers the case of the 'dustless' CT
mops which are quite dangerous .uE
less particular care is exercised i'll
storing them.
Carefully compiled figures show
that carelessness is responsible for
IS per cent, of the fires, which cause
a loss in this country of a million
dollars a day-a building burned
every minute Of the day and nigh.
The country cannot continue to stand
this tremendous leak. We are the
greatest builders in the world, and
the greatest destroyers.
Gasoline is responsible for q coz
siderable increase in the number OF
fires. During 10 days OF last june
losses amounting to S150,0QO wer2
caused in this State by gasoline eX-
plosions and the fires following them.
Burning automobiles has become a
serious item of loss.
I'VE think we have unearthed q
big conspiracy between automobile
statesmen and insurance agents to de-
fraud insurance companies through
lncendiary destruction of machines.
I have here the signed confession Of
such conspiracy. In this case the
machine was sold to the mother-in-
law or the man who is charged VIII
burning it. The woman was known
not to have money enough to buy Il
mule, but the salesman accepted a
small cash payment on the machine
with an arrangement for the pay
ment of the balance in installments
The machine needed repairs so often
that the purchaser complained u
the salesman that he must have soil
them secondhand car.
FINALLY the salesman, who had
also written the policy of insurance,
ad yised the customer that the best
way to get rid of the machine was to
burn it and collect the insurance.
Don't burn it in your own neighbcr-
hood, where you are we'll known he
said; but bring it up in my section.
Tho purchaser did so and called to
see the agent saying he was pre-
pared to carry out instructions. Bet
ter hurry up" advised the agent, for
your policy expires at noon and you
haven't much time to spare. Be sure
to make thorough job of it, for
otherwise the adjusters might re-
pair the machine and then you woHl1
be worse off than ever
1.-The pur haser borrowed a screw
driver AMI q pair of pinchers and
went off down the road. In due
time he came back.
There will be no repair bill,
he said.
1--WE need some further legisla-
ton concerning i'm endiarism. Re
Gently we had a man indicted for
burning an automobile, and then We
found there was no law on the
statute books to punish such an of
Tense All we do now is to have Of
leaders indicted for CONSPIRACY"
Chairman B S Mace Of the sec