ANNUAL REPORT
OF STATE EIRE
COMMISSIONER
W. 8. RBDGKLL, 8TATK FIRB COM
ISSIONKIt, MADK INM'lisiv.
AND INTERESTING SPEACH
REPORT PRINTED IN FULL
American Extravagance Will Be Cur
tailed By The Neceetritie And
Prevent Fires
I -
During the past yar this Depart
ment hag used every tffort to reduce
the fire loss of Nebraska to the mini
mum, and we believe that each year
the effect ivenoss of the Fire Commis
sion Law is more pronunced and Its
merit and worth more focibly felt
by the citizens of the state. The
gradual co-operation which is mani
fested from year to year is noticeable
to a remarkable degree. The ser
iousness of the country's situation
at the present time is probably one
reason that during the past year we
have received mo e hearty co-operation
fromHhe public than ever before.
The necessity of conserving from des
truction by Are our food, grain and
all necessities of life has Interested
the country as a whole, so that as
never before, our citizenship is ripe
to receive lessons in Fire Prevention
and Fire Protection that cannot help
but produce permant and 'beneficial
results.
The present war has already done
and will continue to do more toward
curtailing "American Extravagance"
than years of teaching and preaching
could possibly have done. Ours was
a country of prosperity and plenty
and it was almost impossible to teach
or impress upon our comfortable
people the 'importance of conserving
our resources from a prolific de
struction by fire. "Insurance" seem
ed to solve the whole "Fire"situatlon.
Business men, from the smallest up
to the largest rested easy and un
worried in the fact that their proper
ty was insured and therefore they
had nothing to fear from "fire". Now
with our scarcity of food, lumber,
grain and all the necessities of life, it
is drawing upon our people that In
surance money cannot replace that
which has been destroyed by fire, it
cannot bring back to its material
for that which has been reduced
to a heap of ashes. Insurance re
imburses with money the cash value
of what has been destroyed but if
there is a scarcity of the commodity
destroyed dollars cannot purchase or
resources that our annual fire loss
meant. Early last spring after the
United States declared war upon Ger
many, The National Board of Fir
Underwriters placed at the disposal
of the Government its entire amount
of detailed information regarding
Fire Prevention and Fire Protection
together with the individual services
of the organized Fire Insurance Com
panies, and through the consent o?
these various companies their State
and Special agents throughout the en
tire United States volunteered their
services to the Government for the
Inspection and safeguarding of
property against fire. The govern
ment through the National Council
of Defense accepted, this offer of ser
vice from these experienced men and
thereby have received most valuable
results.
In Nebraska last JuneUhe National
Board of Fire Underwriters organi
zed and appointed its committee to
carry on the conservation work In
this state.
The western committee of the Na
tional Board, headed by Walter H.
Sage of Chicago, as chairman; James
F. Joseph, Secretary, and F. S. Dan-
forth. Charles R. Street, Charles Le
Roy Hecox and John H. Carr, mem
bers of the committee met In the
Governor's office at Lincoln, Ne
braska. At this meeting were pres
ent all the State Officials, The State
Fire Marshal and ithe State Council
of Defense. The committee of the
National Board was assured by the
officials present that they would at
all times receive their willing and
hearty co-operation and support.
At a meeting of the Insurance men
of the State, in Lincoln, a State Com
mittee was organized with W. C.
Lyle, as chairman, C U. Hendrickson,
Secretary, and W. H. Ahmanson, E.
S. Freeman, W. S. Harding, C. R.
McCotter, C. G. Robertson, J. F. Zim
mer, W. S. RIdgell, State Fire Mar
shal, members of the executive com
mittee. Keith Neville, Governor,
Robert M. Joyce, Chairman State
Council of Defense, George Coupland,
Vice-Charirman Council of Defense
as associate members.
We then appointed every state and
special agent of the fire insurance
companies doing business In the state
as special deputy fire commissioners,
with power to inspect and require the
necessary repairs of all elevators,
mills and wholesale houses in the
state of Nebraska. These honorary
inspectors and with the fire chiefs
and Deputy Inspectors of this Depart
ment have made a thorough canvass
of the state and there is scarcely a
town in the state which has not been
Inspected by one or more of these
men togothr with th Fir Chief of the
town. There were two elevator fires
early in the spring of last year and
the large mill fire known as the Man
ey Mill at Omaha, but since these In
spectors have been appointed there
has not been a single mllPor elevator
fire in the State of Nebraska, and only
one mill fire which was situated at
Broken Bow, and the owner was un
able to get any insurance on this
building and the tenant only carried
erente it and now when we are fariner
a scarcity of grain and food, people I enougn grain in tnis minding to run
will realize that our citizens or sol-ihim ,rom bne day t0 another,
diers cannot eat money and the only I This Department has no way of
and sensible course to pursue is to filing how many fires have been pre
conserve and save from destruction vented from May 21 , 1917, but we be
by Are that which we have. Of a i lleve tnat there has been wonderful
certainty this lesson in conservation . savin of food and provisions In the
Is I... I,,, tancrht no nnnr in i tvav that I last 8iX IllOnthS.
will bo popularize the science of Fire
Prevention that this country will
never again lapse back into its lax
methods and habits regarding Ameri
ca's great and unnecessary Fire
Waste. i
Our own careless, negligent ex
travagent fire losses are sufficient to
There has been two or three In
stances in the state where we were
compelled to threaten elevator and
mill men, and we have also had to
take the matter up with the State
Council of Defense. Tne Council of
Defense has been a great help to this
Department in enforcing the orders
. . f ft,.. . - t i i . . ... , -
cause us to use every preventive,"' ,uc m iuc ni year.
methed to reduce them to the mini-1 Manufacturers, business men, and
m.im hut if a more clprine and im- citizens, generally throughout the
pves' e object lesson !s needed :o
prove the deadly destruction and ir
repairable devastation waged by fire
we have but to look at what value as
a weapon our enemy places upon it.
If Germany could destroy by fire in
this country, our food, grain, mills,
munitions, and other necessary war
and life sustaining necessities, with
what could we wage war against her?
State, have been most anxious and
willing to receive suggestions and
comply with orders and corrections
asked for by these inspectors. Never
before have merchants and business
men been so cautioned and Instructed
regarding fire hazards; carelessness
to a great degree has been corrected
and negligence in providing ample
fire protection has been brought to
And it is not alone and destruction i the attention of citizens In a manner
of munitions and direct necessities of i that will surely bring good results,
war that will undermine our wealth The cleaning up of premises, keeping
and power if we do not reduce our j buildings free from combustible
fire, losses; every dollars worth of , materials, oily waste, excelsior and
property destroyed Is Just that many j rubbish of all kinds will reduce los
dollars worth of wealth forever wiped , to a marked degree. The instal-
It is irrecover- i latum of nre extinguishers, water
out of our existence.
ably lost.
President Wilson and Mr. Hoover
have both repeatedly warned and
pleaded with the nation to curtail our
trementious fire losses, "rosident
Wilson says "Preventable fire is more
than a private misfortune. It is a
public dit reflection. At a time like
this of emergency and of manifest
necessity for the conservation of na
tional resources, it Is more than ever
a matter of deep and pressing con-
pails and buckets, the placing of re
liable watchmen at buildings, all
these prevention measures have been
taken cognizance of during this past
year as never before.
Necessity compells and enforces
conservation as nothing else will, and
never before in the history of this
generation has necessity so serious
and widespread confronted us. Not
only a shortage of fod supplies for
ourselves and our allies confronts us.
sequence that every means should be but the shortage in supplies of every
taken to prevent this evil." The kind makes this conservation move
President evidently had In mind not ment general in every line of agri
alone the munitions and direct neces- j culture, commerce and manufacture,
slties of war but all wactc by fire. He Fire ChlefsJVow Deputy Fire Month!
had In mind the 'annual fire loss of j Besides these fire insurance men
more than $250,000,000. and the ex-. who have been made honorary mem
tent to which the prosecution of the , bers of our Department, we have also
war would be Interfered with by cal- j commissioned every fire chief
ling away from it the labor and mat-: throughout the state as a Deputy of
erlals represented by the even partial , this Department. As in past years
reconstruction and replacing of over . the fire chiefs throughout the State
$250,000,000 worth of property. ihave given us most valuable service
Naturally the seriousness of the j and assistance and when requested
handicap to our country through its to do so they have made particular
enormous fire losses first Impressed and special Inspections of properties
itself upon the Insurance Fraternity
of the country, because Fire Insur
ance men, more than any otner busi
ness or professional bob, realised
long ago the terrific drain upon our
that would have necessitated the ex
penditure of a great deal of money
in sending one of our paid men to
look Into matters which the Are
chiefs hare attended to locally for us.
Without doubt the most valuable as
set to the Fire Commission Drnar'-
ment is the service rendered by locnl
fire chiefs. Citisens In many cases
do not realize the really valuable If
not heroic work proformed by the
local Are Departments. The Nation
al Board of Fire Underwriters and
the National Board of Defense recog
nizes the valuable service rendered
by the fire departments and they
were anxious for their co-operation
in this work of conservation.
The Fire Commission Law pro
vides for a report to the Fire Com
mission Department of all fires In
organized towns and villages and pro
vides a $25 fine for any fire chief
falling to report at a reasonable
length of time. There has been
three or four Instances where the tire
chief has failed to live up to this law
and quite a few instances where after
the first of January the fire chief has
sent In reports for the year nreced-
ing. We want to say that In the future
r.ny chief, mr.yor, or city clerk,
failing to send in his report within a
reasonable length of time after the
fire, will be prosecuted, and those
fire chiefs who fail to send In their
report after it is too late to get 'Into
our annual report will not only be
prosecuted but will not receive any
compensation for their work.
The (iHw.llne Hazard
We believe that pract icily all the
merchants In the state keep their sup
ply of gasoline burled in a safe un
derground tanks. We are constant
ly watching the careless storing and
handling of gasoline and we mean to
make Nebraska as safe .as possible
from this dangerous explosive.
While we believe that during the
past seven years we have accomplish
ed our purpose of hovlna all the ea-
ollne handled by the merchants In the
state, buried in safe underground
tanks, yet it seemo impossible to com
pel the owners of automobiles to lim
it the supply of gasoline kept above
ground in their garages to five gal
lons or less. It was rather impos
sible to reach all automobile owners.
So complicated was the 'matter and
so nedless seemed the task that last
August we Issued a ruling to all oil
Companies in the state prohibiting
them from filling any tank or recept
acle, that was not burled under
ground, with more than five galons
of gasoline. To be sure and elimin
ate all poss'blllty of any controversy
between "the Oil Companies and this
Department we first secured an opin
ion from the Attorney General.
We nlso notified every fire chief in
the state as to our ruling'ln this mat
ter and requested them to see that no
gasoline in excess of five gallons was
stored above ground. Will state that
the oil companies ns a 'general rule
are co-operating with this Depart
ment In this matter and very little
gasoline Is being stored above ground
In the state today.
Moving Picture Shows Theatre.
Fire Escape Exits Etc.
The Legislature of 1917 amended
Fire Commission Law and took away
from the labor department the Juris
diction over moving picture shows,
theatres, Bchool houses, ho'els, and
all public buildings, and placed the
supervision of same under this de
partment. During tie past year we
have taken up the matter of fire es
capes and insisted that they be instal
led on all public buildings according
to law. Last August we sent a letter
to the chairmen of all School Boards
throughout the State, and we are
pleased to report that a great many
School Boards were interes ed In hav
ing their schools properly equipped
with fire escapes. State Superinten
dent W. H. Clemmons also sent a let
ter to the various School Boards and
we are sure these letters were the
means of safeguarding the lives of a
great many children in schoola where
up to this time fire escapes had not
been Installed.
The l-uw Governing The Use And Sale
DC Fireworks
The sale and use of fireworks has
been the source of agreat many
deaths, Injuries, and destructive fires.
For the past ten or twelve years a
great many instances enacted laws
prohibting the sale and nso of fire
works, so that now ifi a number of
cities the Fourth of July and -other
holidays are celebrated without the
use of any destructive explosives.
Having in mind the elimination of
any unecessary fires, this Department
made a ruling last year that there
would be no fireworks sold In the
state. Owing to the fact tnat when
this matter was taken up last summer
a number of wholesale houses already
had purchased their 1817 supply and
not wishing to work a hardship on
them we allowed them to sell fire
works last sum me-, but all whole
salers have been notified that they
must not sell them in the state In the
future.
We then notified the mayors of
every town in the state, of our order
In regard to fireworks to July 1918.
and requested them to pass an ordin
ance along that line. We had an or
dinance passed and endorsed by the
National Board of Underwriters and
sent to every mayor in the state of
Nebraska, with a request that they
pass this ordinance and assist the
Fire Commission Department in do
ing away with needless danger, not
only to life but to property nslso. All
towns have answered and have com
piled with our request. Lincoln, Ne
braska, hts the ordinance bofore the
city council and It will no doubt p:as
It before long.
We want you firemen to go back
to your towns, see your elty council
and try and have -them pass this law.
as we would like to see a sane Fourth
(Continued on Pngo 6.)
STATEMENT OE R. R.
WAGE COMMISSION
OMMsteUM Announces. That It Des
ire To Represent Intert ms Of
Railroad Employes
Dire, tor (ieneral Of Railroad
Washington
January 18, 1918.
General (h-ter No. 5
Pursuant to the r.uthorlty rested In
in.- as Director General of Railroads
by the President of the United States
in bis proclamation of December 26,
1917, I hereby create a Railroad
Wage Commission and name as the
members thereof, Franklin K. Lane,
Secretary of the Interior; Charles C
McChord, member of the interstate
Commerce Commission t 3. Harry
Covington. Chief Justice of the Su
preme Court of he District of Colum
bia and W'lllam R. Wlllcox of New
York.
It I Ordered And Directed That
The Commission shall make a gen
eral investigation of the compensa
tion of persons in the railroad service
the relation of railroad wages to
wages Hn other industries, tne condi
tions respecting wages in different
parts of the country, the special em
ergency respecting wages which ex
ists ot this time owingMo war condi
tions add the high cost of living, as
well as. the relation between different
classes of railroad labor.
The Commission shall begin Its
labors at once, and make report to the
Director General giving Its recom
mendations in general terms as to
changes In existing compensations
that should be made.
Officers, agents and employees of
the railroads are directed to furnish
to the Railroad Wage Commission
upon request all Information It may
require in the course oflto Investi
gations. s
(Signed) W. G. McAdoo
Director Genera of Railroads.
This Commission understands 'that
Its duty is not to sit as a body of
Judges to determine a contested case
as between the railroads and their
employees. The Government has
taken over the control of the rail
roads for the period of the war and
to meet war needs. It is a matter
of necessity that we secure from the
roads their fullest usefulness. They
must be made to play tholr part to
the limit In the making of war, the
carriage of goods and men. TnUhls
end it is fundamental that the em
ployees shall feel that a spirit of Jus
tice animates the Government. We
should seek to give not what may be
forced by contest, struggle. Intimida
tion and coercion, but what Is fair,
all things considered. Thla Is our
attitude. We look at the problem
before us as not, "what does organ
ized labor or unorganized labor de
mand," but what with war upon us
and living costs as they are, should
be the compensation given for 'the
services rendered. We seek for no
counsel of perfection. Tne status of
labor for all time 's not to he deter
mined by our studies. We shall not
expect to give all that under pressure
the workman might compel any more
than we shall aBk him to accept the
wage that our soldiers receive for
their unequalled sacrifice. But a
working basis must be arrived at be
tween the Government and tnose who
are employed on -the roads by which
good feeling shall be maintained and
the fullest service obtained. for this
Is the prime need of the liour that
each man's hand and brains shall
servo the nation now as nerer before.
We wish. In short, to stimulate pro
duction by doing whaP 1? Just.
This being a Government Inquiry
we shall hear those who wish to con
tribute anything thRt is helpful, but
It is mnndatory'that we ehall reach a
quick conclusion. Therefore the great
er parr or tne nata upon which we
must act will be gathered for our
selves. There are 1.800,000 employ
ees on our railroads. Some are or
ganized and have great power for
self-help. The gr-at majority more
than two-thirds, are, however, not or
ganized. We shall consider bqlh
classes, and upon an equal footing, bo
far as that may be practicable. This
very statement of the number em
ployed makes 'evident the unparalled
size of the task that is before us. If
with this fact is considered the extent
of the terrltorycovered and the sig
nificance of the different conditions
obtaining In the varying secttons of
the country It will at once be realised
that no such hearing as this has been
held before, nor one'that carries such
possibilities In affecting for good or
ill the mass of our workers In all in
dustries and the part they will play in
carrying on the pressing duty of mak
ing war with characteristic American
energy, enthusiasm and masterful
ness. We wish first of all to know
what present con Mtions are. What
data has already been gathered as to
the number of employees, their clas
sification n groups according to their
duties, their compensation tn money
and that compennrtion converted In
to terms of support for themselves
and their families. This ler.do Into a
study of the present cost of living as
contrasted with the cont at other per
iods. The various Governmental
agencies, the railroads themselves,
the larger organisations of labor and
individual studies will doubtless
prove to have already gathered the
greater part of these facts. Wher
ever there Is a shortage this must be
supplemented, and to this end we
shall feel free to call upon railroads
and employees, the Government de
partments and other agencies for
such facta as they can furnish. We
shall also seek from foreign govern
ments and from tho induotrleo of the
country for the presentation of met
hods by which conditions such as we
must nioct have DM met. In word,
we shall make this Inquiry upon the
brooded posoible lines connistent
with on early closing of our research,
ami the great body of the mrterlal we
shall gather will, we trust, com to us
in compact written or printed form
rather than by oral statement. Rarh
one who appears In pereon or other
wise shall be rorraid' d ns belne mil.
mated by the nrmc nurrinse trnt ani
mates the Government Itself. No sel
fish or narrow endi areAto he nerv
by this hearing. We are looking to
the greater welfare of mankind. Our
end is not to Justify a theory or to
reach or approximate an idoal. but
rather as practical men to deal with
a situation precent in n spirit of fair-mindedness.
Ths Australian "Bush."
What Is known nB the Australian
"bush" Is the country beyond the eom
nunltles. The life followed in these
Regions Is similar to ranch life in New
fVexIco.
WHEN YOU HAVE A COLD
It Is when you have a severe cold
that you appreciate the good dualities
of Chamberlain's Cough Remedy.
Mrs. frank Crockor Pans, 111.,
writes: "Our five-year-old son Paul
caught a severe cold last winter that
settled on his lungs and he had ter
rible caughlng spells. We were
greatly worried about him as the
medicine we gave him did not heln
him in the least. A neighbor spoke
so highly of Chamberlain's Cough
Remedy that I got a bottle of It. The
first dose benefited him so much that
I continued giving It to him until he
was cured."
"The nest appearance of the Am
erican soldier Isn't maintained," said
War Secretary Baker, "without hard
work. On the train one warm day;
a private sat with his tunic nnhotton
pd. A Sergeant strode up and said :l
"Button up the Tunic, see by-lr.w 317,
subsection D. I'm Sergt. Jabes Win
lerbottom." A gentleman in the seafl
behind topped the Sergeant on tha
shoulder. "How dare you issue orders)
with a pipe in your mouth?" u
asked. "Go home and read paragraph)
J7, section M, part 9. I am Majoa
Eustace Carrol." Here a gentleman
with a drooping white mustache in
terposed from the other aide of th
aisle: "If Major Carrol," ho said
coldly, "wjll consult by-law 31 of sec
t'on K, he will learn that to repri
mand a sergeant In the presence of
a private is an offense not lightly to
be overlooked." He wa General
Snowbankc. Was" ington Star.
Wo pay the hlgest market price for
chickens; A. D. Rodgers market.
5-tf-9880
Education for AH.
The higher education of the village
ind city youth, together with n modi
rum of the country youth, with onlw
the fifth to eighth grade for the bear
blood of the state, may stand for the'
educator's Ideals, but It Is bad for the
country ns a whole. It tends to mak
tristocrats of the poorest and slave
of the best blood. Education Is tor.
all. not for a favored few. James A.
Garfield.
NOTICE TO DAIRYMEN.
Ordinance No. 219, Section XI.
calling for the tubercular test of all
milk cows, of which their milk is sold
In Alliance, must bo compiled with
at onco or such action as necessary
will be token.
J. E. HUGHES,
Deputy Milk Inspector.
Hotel Fontenelle
OMAHA
Built By Nebraskans
For Nebraskans
MAKE. THE FONTENELLE YOUR
HEADQUARTERS WHEN IN OMAHA.
UNFAILING COURTESY and SERVICE
SEEM TO MERIT YOUR PATRONAGE
330 ROOMS-330 BATHS
(2.00 to (4.00
(s.oo to io.oo
IONB PERSON
I TWO PBRSONS
DITSt
I TWO PBRSONS . . 3. 00
. Mngrment H. Edgar Gregory
Professional Cards
C. E. SLAGLE, M. D.
Physician and Surgeon
Office phone, 65. Res. phone, 62
Alliance, - - Nebraska
L. W. BOWMAN
Physician and Surgeon
302 Box Butte
Phones: Office, 362; Res. 16
Geo. J. Hand. M. D.
ASTHMA and
HAY FEVER
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat
PHONE 267
Calls answered from office day or
night.
J. D. EMERIOK
Bonded Abstractor
I have the only set of abstract
Books in Box Butte County
Office: Rm. 7, Opera House Block
"Let Me Cry For Yon"
HARRY P. COURSEY
Live Stock and General Sales
Specialist and Auctioneer
FARM SALES A SPECIALTY
'Terms Reasonable
Alliance, (Phone 664) Nebr.
Professional Photographer
Quality Portraits,
Interior and Exterior Views
Kodak Finishing
Enlarging all Styles
M. E. GREBE, Proprietor
ALLIANCE ART STUDIO
Phone Red 165
J. JEFFREY, D. C. Ph. O.
A. G. JEFFREY, D. O.
CHIROPRACTORS
Office Hours, 10 A M. to 8 P. M.
NEW WILSON BLOCK
DR. D. E TYLER
DENTIST
PHONE ICS
Over Ft rat National
ALLIANCE,
NEBRASKA
Harness Hand Made from Beat
Material. Outlast any Factory
Made Goods. Call and See.
Harness Repairing by Experienced
Harness Maker
J. M. COVERT
At M. D. Nichols' Stand, Alliance
BURTON & REDDISH
Attorneys-at-Lew
Office: First National Bank Bldg,
PHONE 180
t. - - Nebraska
L A B1ERY
Boons Burner Bk
Alliance, - Nebraska