HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



of this city to the exclusion of lumber. Is it their object to develop 

 a finer type of citizenship for this great city of ours, to pave the 

 way for the humble wage-earner to become a home-owner and that 

 more rapidly than he is capable of at his present stride? Why this 

 antagonism to lumber interests? 



At a meeting of the building committee of the city council, held 

 March 5, 1912, a prominent official of the fire department made 

 a statement that with the water mains enlarged and high water 

 pressure and with the splendid fire department then at his command 

 it would make no difference whether buildings were made of wood or 

 brick construction, he could then take care of any fire. 



This statement is practically also borne out and corroborated by 

 a representative of a prominent fire insurance agency of this city, 

 one of the largest in the world. From his report I quote: 



In tlie question of desirability from a fire insurance standpoint, as to 

 wliether tLcre is any real difference iu loss ratio between a frame dwelling 

 with a shingle roof and a bricli dwelling with a gravel roof, if statistics 

 could be obtained, they would prove tbat there is no radical difference 

 in the loss ratio of each to the premiums of its class. A brick dwelling, 

 after a fire, contains salvage to the insurance companies in the walls, but 

 because of the numerous windows and dnor openings, it is as serious in 

 exposure to its neighbors as a frame dwelling. Naturally a frame dwelling 

 would have a higher loss ratio on account of the difference between frame 

 and brick as far as salvage goes, but from an insurance standpoint, it is 

 immaterial which class of construction is used. 



Conflagrations are no respecters of construction. Total losses have 

 occurred in reinforced concrete buildings occupied only for office purposes ; 

 as an illustration, the concrete office of the Emerson-Brantingham Com- 

 pany, at Rockford, built for and occupied for office purposes. Enough 

 combustibility in the furniture, fixtures and stationery caused a com- 

 plete loss to construction. It would be as easy to have conflagrations start 

 through a brick d,Tvelling house district as it would through a frame 

 dwelling house district. When sufficient heat has been generated plus the 

 velocity of wind, fire will sweep through any form and character of con- 

 struction, rendering same practically a total loss from every standpoint. 

 The question of frame construction iu the outlying parts of Chicago or 

 Cook county is, therefore, no more serious a menace from a fire standpoint 

 than if the same were constructed of brick, especially as the brick would 

 be full of window and door openings and after all is but a frame con- 

 struction with a brick covering. 



It is not possible to obtain statistics that show enough results on the 

 dwelling house business. Ordinarily, a frame dwelling constructed these 

 days, is not expensive and the loss on same. If total, as compared with the 

 premium charged for it, is a far less ratio of loss to the insurance com- 

 panies than a four or six-story double apartment building which proves, 

 after a fire, to be a very heavy loss. 



It would seem to me, as if on account of the smaller values In the ordi- 

 nary frame dwelling as compared with the iucrensed values in brick dwell- 

 ings and especially apartment buildings which must be classified as a 

 dwelling house these days, that figures, if they could be obtained, would 

 prove that a frame dwelling house business at the rates charged, would 

 show a higher rate of profit to the insurance companies than it will on 

 the balance of the so-called preferred brick dwelling and apartment build- 

 ing classification. 



As it applies to the initial cost of a home and particularly the dif- 

 ference in cost between a brick and frame house, I quote the fol- 

 lowing letter from the Chicago Daihj Neivs, November 3, 1914, pub- 

 lished under heading, "Views on Many Topics": 



Every year we set aside one day that we call fire prevention day. This 

 year two buildings were erected in Grant Park, one of frame, the other 

 of brick. The object of this was to show which would burn down more 

 rapidly. But whoever saw a w-hole row of frame buildings burn down in 

 the outlying districts of Chicago in the last ten or fifteen years since there 

 has been an ordinance that a building must be one foot from one lot line 

 and three feet from the other lot line, giving tour feet of space Iwtween 

 two houses? 



A $3,000 house is usually bought by a workingraan, whose income is 

 $1,000 a .vear or less. He will buy on payments of about $25 a month. 

 This same $.'!.000 house in brick would cost 2.t per cent more. Therefore, 

 his payments would be about $32 a month. Some people may say : "Oh, 

 that is only $7 a month more. He can meet that Just as easily." I know 

 from experience that he cannot, for I have seen many of these men's 

 wives go out to work and wait eagerly for their children to reach working 

 age in order to help meet these $25 payments. 



Some years ago Sweden sent a representative to America to find why 

 Swedish people had left their homes. On returning he said that the fact 

 that a man can buy a home on "time" and be his "own landlord" was one 

 reason. 



Why deprive the man of the small "frame shack" when he cannot afford 

 a brick house? 



You must all admit that the best type of citizenship is developed 

 from the home owner. To the man of small means and slight income 



the initial expense in the purchase of a home is of vital importance. 

 It has often been ray privilege to discuss the matters of cost and 

 terms with men and women about to let a contract for a home. 

 Consider the vast areas of real estate within the limits of this great 

 city that are being transformed from truck farms to residential lots. 

 While I am an ardent admirer of Nature, I certainly prefer to sec 

 this change, and frcm personal observation I have seen acre after 

 acre evolve from truck farm to a community of home owners. Do 

 you realize that to these people a difference of a few hundred dollars 

 — yes, even $50 — in the cost of a house too often stands between 

 them and the possession of a home? I have discussed only the cost. 

 As regards the permanency, the beauty, the safety and the sanita- 

 tion of frame houses, I leave these to your better judgments. 



Supposing sprinkler manufacturers, to expand their business, should 

 urge our city council to pass an ordinance making it compulsory to 

 install automatic sprinklers in your homes, offices, churches, etc., 

 just to reduce the fire hazard of this city. Would not the cost of 

 installation of automatic sprinklers have to be considered in pro- 

 portion to the saving of insurance premium? Is the fire hazard 

 here so great that the quiet beauty of our homes, etc., must be invaded 

 by these unsightly sprinklers whose domain of usefulness is confined 

 to department stores, factories, storehouses, etc.? The same is ap- 

 plicable to fire escapes. 



The tactics of local brick, cement, stucco, etc., manufacturers are 

 unethical. By legislation they are trying to secure business prestige 

 which along legitimate competitive lines would be denied them. Do 

 lumbermen fear their competition? No. Do lumbermen try to per- 

 suade or induce a home-builder to contract for a frame house when 

 his means permit the luxury of a brick house? Emphatically, no. 

 Now what is to be done to solve this problem which is cropping up 

 in all directions, in Cleveland, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Seattle, Baltimore, 

 Chicago, etc. Fortunately for Chicago lumbermen, this city of ours 

 has a most efficient organization whose influence is far-reaching and 

 salutary in public, commercial and municipal affairs. I am referrmg 

 to our Chicago Association of Commerce. 



I want to impress this on all of you, and particularly the lum- 

 bermen who are members and yet misunderstand the wonderful work 

 of this association. I may aptly term their committee appointments 

 to handle and consider this vital question of extending the Chicago 

 fire limits a "round table" conference. At this "tribunal" the sub- 

 ject can be discussed pro and con from the various angles and view- 

 points of the insurance interests; the brick, cement and allied inter- 

 ests; the luiifber interests and interests of the outside public which 

 after all is the most important to consider, because the enhancement 

 of citizenship depends on it. The Chicago Association of Commerce 

 is neither fostering nor sponsoring this movement; merely assisting 

 these various interests in solving this important question. What has 

 the Chicago Association of Commer( e done? It has placed at the dis- 

 posal of Chairman Dunn a committee selected from and representing 

 these various interests. The work of this committee has been aggres- 

 sive and thorough and if it has not succeeded in solving this question 

 to the entire satisfaction of each committeeman or the interests he 

 represents, I want to comfort the committee with former achievements 

 of the Chicago Association of Commerce. My personal experience 

 with the association has taught me that it is ever-ready to consider 

 the report of the objecting minority. The policy of the Chicago 

 Association of Commerce is so broad-gauged that it can solve a per- 

 plexing question like this one and still satisfy all interests because it 

 is so CO operative in spirit. I personally wish Chairman Dunn and 

 his committee every success and if some features of this momentous 

 question have not been satisfactorily solved, I can assure Mr. Dunn 

 that each interest stands ready to assist him and his comtnittee. 

 Gentlemen, it is in this association "where all to each would lend a 

 helpful hand." 



Wireless telegraphy is being used in Canada in reporting on forest 

 fires. 



The best excelsior is made from basswood, or linden. Aspen and 

 Cottonwood, however, supply neaily half of the total amount manu- 

 factured. 



