Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 108, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1919 — AXE FAILS ON SEVERAL [ARTICLE]

AXE FAILS ON SEVERAL

STATE FIRE MARS HALL SHOWS DISCRIMINATION IN ORDERING CHANGES. Several Rensselaer business men are temporarily out of business, others have been ordered to change the existing conditions about their buildings and several old landmarks have been ordered torn down, all as a result of a visit paid the city last week by Harry Tyner, state fire marshal, who is making a tour of the state in an effort to lower the fire insurance rates by removing all fire hazards. The official gave orders indiscriminately and the axe fell on all who were not complying with the state fire regulations. For the most part the garages curried the ill-favor of Mr. Tyner, who found many lations of the fire laws on the part of garage owners. — r — Among the buildings that will soon disappear from view are those occupied by the C. E. Prior Produce Co., on Cullen street. The building was condemned by the marshal and will soon be torn down. Another old landmark which must go the way all old buildings go is the one owned by Walter White which stands on Van Rensselaer- street just opposite the D. M. Worland furniture store. The building was occupied by Mike Kuboske who operated a garage in it. The building is an old structure and offered much fire hazard and in no way met the requirements demanded for garage buildings in Indiana. Mr. Kuboke was ordered to vacate it at once and will soon, in partnership with James Walters, erect a new garage. It is understood that the state official also had his eyes upon the city hall building on S. Van Rensselaer street but decided to permit it to stand upon learning that the city Is contemplating the erection of a new hall soon. • The building owned by Dr. H. L. Brown at the intersection of Washington and S. Weston streets also met with disfavor as a garage by Mr. Tyner and the occupants, Bert Avis and J

Frank Getsenauer, vacated immediately. The building was not condemned but can no longer be used as a garage until changes are made. The owners of the Central, Main, and Rhodes garages were ordered' to remove all stoves from their buildings and install steam heat by o°' tober 1. Aside from this conditions were found very satisfactory at these places. The owner of the Rensselaer garage at the corner of Washington and Front streets was found to be violating the law by storing gasoline on the second floor. All garages of more than one story must have all gasoline stored on the first floor. A cement floor was also ordered for the second floor if the owijer continues to use. However, it is understood that Mr. Marlat will abandon the second floor and will build a naddition to the lower floor and in this way meet the requirements of the law in every respct. Minor changes were ordered at the Milner tire shop, the Rensselaer electric company and at Leek’s hitch bam. The building north of the Makeever hotel also under the watchful eye of the fire marshal and garage owners who had cars stored iin it were told to remove them at once. ' The owners of the picture houses were ordered to install automatic door holders and fire extinguishers. At the school houses the same changes were ordered. The present set of fire laws are said to be the best ever enacted in the state and Mr. Tyner believes that by reducing the fire hazards through* out the state that a much lower rate of fire insurance can be obtained, which is the primary object in the movement. Under the existing laws an owner of a building is forced, to pay a higher rate of insurance simply because a'building in close proximity to his does not meet the requirements of the insurance companies. In other words he is unjustly forced to pay more for his insurance because his neighbor is lax in' complying with regulations. All this can be eradicated once conditions are bettered and then all will receive equal justice. An excellent feature of Hie law is that it protects the owner of a business who operates legitmately and • ® ■» * . .

in strict compliance with the law from competition which operates on a cheap basis and which does not in any way conform to regulations, but which does manage to do enough business to make it a losing venture for all concerned. By enforcing the law many of the minor institutions cease to exist and those which operate on a larger scale are thereby permitted to make a reasonable profit on their investments. No one is in favor of crowding the little fellow out of business but where a field becomes too crowded in one certain line of business it becomes time to protect those who are living up to the laws in every respect. ' \ Another correction which Mr. Tyner is trying to make in the state is in the matter of hose couplings. He has found that there are seventy-nine different couplings in the state at the present time which is something that should be corrected in that one city can not help another in fighting fire. It is the intention of Mj. Tyner to have all cities adopt the same type of hose couplings that the various cities may co-operate in combating' fire if called upon to do so.