who resigned recently as chief fire investigator after twenty-seven
years of service with the State. I know all of you join with me in an
expression of gratitude to him for the loyal service he has rendered
the State and wishing him the happiness he so richly deserves in his
retirement. The Fire Marshal tells me that Benjamin Benson, III,
the assistant chief is now working in that capacity and is doing an
excellent job.

For all our concern with the many difficult problems of fire safety
in the State, there are many encouraging signs. For example, a few
months ago I had the pleasure of presenting the awards which the
National Fire Protection Association made to our Maryland fire de-
partments for the excellence of their performances. For the second
successive year, the Fire Department of Baltimore City received high-
est honors in the judging of the national association. It was tied with
Philadelphia for top honors among cities of its population class in 1965.
The year before — in 1964 —it was first in the field. I also had the
pleasure of presenting certificates of merit to the departments of
Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Woodland Beach, Bowleys Quarters,
Laurel, Bladensburg, Potomac Heights and West Lanham Hills.
Awards were given also to the fire protection bureaus of Anne Arundel,
Montgomery and Prince Georges counties.

I have been greatly encouraged, too, with the success which has
been attained by the Governor's Fire Prevention Conferences, which
were inaugurated during the first year of my tenure of office. Since
1959, there has been a steady growth of the attendance of these im-
portant conferences on fire prevention. Last year 331 persons attended
the meeting, the largest attendance up to that time. The conference
this year will be held November 29 and 30 in Annapolis. I hope that
many of you will be present at this year's conference and that all of
you will give it your support.

With all the evidence of progress that we see about us, however,
it is unlikely that the tasks of fire safety will grow less. On the con-
trary, we have witnessed for the past several years discouraging in-
creases in fire casualties and property loss. Last year, I am advised,
there were 155 persons who lost their lives in fires in our State. Thirty
of these, it is shameful to admit, were children unattended by their
parents or others. It is saddening to all of us to read in our news-
papers of the deaths of men, women and children in fires which could
have been, and should have been, prevented. Less of a tragedy un-
doubtedly, but disappointing nevertheless, are the property losses
occurring in fires. How sad it was a few days ago, for example, to

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