Peking, Jan, 30, The city of Peking suffers smaller loss from fires than any other city of its size in the world, according to the annual report of the chief of the fire department here, for the year 1929. The report states that the: entire loss from fires in this city of more than a million persons dur ing 1929 was only $250,000, 'The chief declares that his department answered only forty alarms during the entire year, an average of less than one per' week, Several of these fires were unimportant, and the loss hardly worth reporting.
The Peking fire dopartusent, which is entirely Chinese, boasts a motor truck of which the municipality. is very proud. However, "in many cases, old-style fire-fighters must be depended upon, a8 the motor truck cannot penetrate many of the narrow streets in the city.
The remarkable record of Peking during 1929 is attributed largely to the style of northern Chinese architecture, The most humble homes are surrounded by high walls mud bricks, which serve as effective fire barriers, Fires seldom extend beyond the courtyard of the house or shop in which they original Practically all the buildings are constructed of brick, and Chinese bricks are almost. fireproof. Roofs of tile also help to prevent the spread of fires to neighbouring " structures.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.