W. H. Merrill on Fire Protection.

W. H. Merrill on Fire Protection.

W. H. Merrill, president of the National Fire Protection Association and manager of the underwriters laboratories, delivered an address at the annual meeting of Illinois State Board of Fire Underwriters at Delavan, Wis., last week, in the course of which he made the following references to matters of current interest. In introducing his own remarks, he quoted President Taft and Secretary Fisher as follows:

"Much of the loss of life and property by fire in the United States is undoubtedly preventable. The extent and nature of our fire losses manifestly bring the question of the fire waste prominently forward in connection with conservation effort.—William H. Taft, President of the United States. It is the duty of organized society to protect its members in life and property.—Walter L. Fisher, Secretary of the Interior, United States. Everyone who has traveled by railroad appreciates the value of the civil engineer. Everyone who uses electric lights knows that electrical engineers are necessary to design them and make them work. In considering problems of fire protection and fire prevention, remember to seek the advice of trained fire protection engineers. The profession of fire protection engineering is an honorable calling. He who devotes his life to safeguarding the lives and property of his fellows is surely doing no small thing for humanity. With pardonable pride a property owner may point to a spotless fire record in answer to suggestions for interior fire doors and exterior protection against exposures, but he will think little of your business ability if you admit such evidence as competent and sufficient. Beware of trade names as absolute criterions of value in fire appliances. Products made from the sap of the maple and front colored glucose are both called maple syrup. An exhibit of a fire appliance sometimes shows that a man can make a creditable device. The label of underwriters laboratories shows that lie does. The laboratories’ labeling service is superior to the pure food law or the certified milk ordinances, in that the fellow who controls the labeling has a direct financial interest in common with the consumer in seeing that he gets unadulterated goods. Beware of the extinguishers, which will act to best advantage in putting out a gasolene fire in a cuspidor. We have few gasolene fires in cuspidors. It is hard to educate fires to meet the limitations of specialty. It is always easier to get a correct analysis of the hazards of a manufacturing process before the risk burns than to leave it for the adjuster to prove violation of policy conditions from evidence left in the ashes. Some people opine that they can tell what’s inside a fire door after it’s hung, by looking at the tin covering. If the marvelous man with the X-ray eye really does exist. I am in a position to offer him an attractive salary.