The Warrington Examiner. — 1871-05-27 (Warrington, Cheshire, England)

COUNCILLOR KEAN ON BOILER INSURANCE.  WE infer that Mr. Councillor KEAN is a gentleman not destitute of bowels. Of course we mean bowels of compassion. We observe, however, with a degree of surprise, a certain expression of opinion attributed to that gentleman in the Examiner' s report of last week's meeting of the Warrington Board of Guardians, not entirely compatible with the bowel theory. It appears that the workhouse authorities have for some time past taken the precaution to insure their boilers. We don't mean their own personal boilers—or rather, boilers which are their own personal property—but the boilers used in the service of the poor, and on the premises where the poor are gathered together. It seems that the "Visiting Committee" of the workhouse has been recently discussing the policy of continuing to insure these boilers, and in a spasm of economy have just decided to leave them to their own sweet wiLl, and, as it were, bind them over to keep the peace—probably, in their own recognisances. Mr. Councillor lixAN, at the meeting we refer to, announced that "the Visiting Committee had had a meeting, and although the attendance was very small, they had determined to discontinue the insurance of the boilers." Mr. KEAN went on to say that" it was folly to pay any more money to the Manchester Boiler Insurance Co.; in fact, it was throwing money away." Now, judging by the newspaper reports of the eccentric and murderous behaviour of many of the boilers of England, and the number of coroners inquests necessitated by the treachery of boiler plates, it scarcely seems to be such an act of folly to insure a boiler as "the very small number of the Visiting Committee" have _so hastily concluded. _ _ _  It is possible that Mr. KEAN may not be aware that boiler insurance means something besides compensation for the destruction of a boiler by explosion, or the property caused by such accident. Mr. KEAN Will find that that is the least part of the service rendered by the Manchester companies, and that it is their business not so much to compensate for explosions, as to prevent them. Every insured boiler is carefully examined by men trained for the purpose, and specially employed in that work. These inspections are made periodically, and every scientific precaution is taken in the prevention of accident. Perhaps nobody would regret more than Mr. KEAN and "the very small number of the Visiting Committee" who object to "throwing money away" on the means of safety, if an explosion occurred at the Workhouse resulting in the slaughter usual to such incidents. It would be small satisfaction to the public to know where the responsibility rested. To be sure, the loss of half a score or so of paupers might soon be forgotten, but some fortuitous perversity of circumstances might bring a Committeeman himself within range of the hurling metal and blow him somewhere in the direction of the south of England. A pauper may not be so presumptious as to want to retain to the end of his life, the usual number of eyes and limbs and an unlimited quantity of spinal column, but we do think that, in the interest of that uninsured Committeeman, who might be caught in the blast, and whom one may imagine, gyrating in space, and distributing himself at random over a couple of counties, it is—as the phrase goes—better to be safe than sorry.