Show The Burning Pit The citizens of or the th United States on a stated day ga- ga gather gather ga gather ther to together ether in one place A line lin linof of trucks bearing in United States currency carry their load to the ed edge ede e of a great reat pit and dump it in It is saturated with gasoline and a match applied As this fortune goes up in smoke 10 10 persons are shoved into the burning pit After this is over oyer it is found that thousands of factories homes farms hospitals and public buildings building no longer exist and thus thug an army of men are thrown out of work Cities Cities and states are f forced to raise their tax rates rotes to com state pen pen- state tate for the property which no pays its share of the cost of government If such a thin as the above hap hap- happened happened hap happened every newspaper in the civilized civilized civilized world would carry sc scare scare- scare heads heads It would become the main topic of conversation in a n hun hun- hundred hundred hun hundred dred nations It would be denounced ed cd as the greatest crime in history Yet in effect this result actually occurs annually in the Unit United d States Very few people give it any particular thought because it doesn't happen at a given momen moment on a given day it day it happens out out the year It represents our na- na national na national fire lire bill Waste of life and economic re- re resources resources re resources sources sources are no worse when they occur over oyer a period of time than when they occur within the hour The effect is identical The loss is isas isas isas as the complete complete the disaster as as- as as astounding Perhaps the illustration given above may help to focus the public mind on the magnitude the tragedy and the irrevocableness of fire |