OCR Text |
Show H WASTE BY FIRE. H f Taking note of the great loss of valuable supplies by H v fire, the National Board of Fire Underwriters has started H I on a compaign to avert loss in food stuffs, coal, lumber, H and other valuable products. Of course some of these H grain elevator and potato warehouse fires have been the H -cdref ully planned accidents arranged by agents of foreign B governments. H But this kind of thing occurs in peace times as well H -as in war. It is always convenient to have German spies H around upon whom to lay off the results of our own care- H lessness. Our own matches thrown carelessly into waste H "boxes will do just as efficient work as the Kaiser's hired H men. H Take the single matter of maintenance of inflamable B waste about business places, which, according to the f ire- H men, is a frequent source of trouble. It is not merely B that fires start easily in such accumulations, but also that B when started they are so hard to put out. The fireman g,H may warn a careless merchant of the dancer of such B negligence. The chances are that he laughs it off, know- B ing very well that nothing will be done. B The national underwriters plan a more thoroughly or- B tjanized system of inspection. It will pay all its costs. B Insurance agents may be lax in the watch they maintain B over fire risks. They may fear that if they are too fussy B about fire hazards, policv holders may place their insur- Bj ance somewhere else. The man who persistently main- V tains dangerous accumulations should be threatened with B the loss of his policy. B The national attitude is "We are insured, therefore B we should worry." Every man should be as careful with B his pronertv even if insured, as if he were taking all the B risks. If that point of view could generallv prevail, the B loss by fire in this country could be cut in half in one week. B k And a lot of grain, potatoes, cotton, and all kinds of high B cost products would be saved for consumption instead of B being turned into ashes. |