Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1855-11-02

was cod upon the engineers to organize their
board .appoint firemen, &c; to have the
charge the fire apparatus; to establish rules
and reons for the government OF the de-
partmand, in the language of the charter,
to "pothe same authority, and exercise the
same in relation to the extinguishment
of freSirewards do, by law, possess and e1-
ercise;'s placing the men and the machinery
of the tmet in the care and control OF the
engineend giving them the control and man
ageme1ires
In Organization of the department, the
| people now asked to make a radical change.
BY the which they are now called upon to
| adopt, proposed, that while the engineers
shall cne to be chosen as they now are and
exercisesame powers in the extinguishment
of fires, they now exercise, they are to have
| no pow,nless specially conferred upon them
| by the cuncil) to appoint the men who are
| to server them; and no power to discharge
| any corr, or member of the department
| serving r them, except in such manner and
on such itions as the City Council shall d.
rect" 1.-THE City Council shall fix and or
dain, frone to time, the powers and duties OF
The Treatment, in regard to the manage.
ment of engines, hydrants, reservoirs, and
other aptuS belonging to the city, which is
used for extinguishmeni of fires; and may
establish rules and ordinances as they may
deem to lcessary for the conduct of citizens
who may resent at fire, &c.
There nany wcighty objections to this pro-
posed acthe engineers, as under the existing
charter, alpposed to be the most competent
to appoine men who are to serve under them :
and they hit, it would seem, to have in their
hands theyer to discharge refractory compa-
MES or mers, without recourse to the City
Council. ~ would best understand the rea-
sons there and it is very certain, that any at
tempt by City Council to keep a refractory
company, individual, in the Department,
against thshes of the engineers, would lneY-
itably breap its organization.
1t woulda remarkable circumstance if col
lisons did frequently occur between the en-
gineers anee city council, constituted as the
departmental be under this new statute for
while the cell would have the power to estab-
lish rules aordinances for the government OF
the departnt, the engineers are still 10 retain
all the pow possessed and exercised by fire
wards.
For nearlventy years, the Fire Department
have been affective one, and acted in harmony
with the tonnd city authorities and the diff
culties thatve arisen, and the change that is
proposed, aIeleved to have had their origin in
the difference construction put by different par.
ties upon thth section of the charter OF 1885.
By that soon, the engineers are charged with
Wv SNo'ONy al Inv SaP otNSS POIhAPSi 'NSSA
voirs, &C., oed by the town, and to be nsed IL
extinguishinires, and to alter and enlarge the
same at thu pleasure, ''prOvided, such altera
tions, additis. or repairs, shall not exceed, il
any one yeathe sum of one hundred dollars
unless said tn of Worcester shall have author
lied a largeDpropriation.
1t is belied that this difference Of opinion
might be setd-all difficulties disposed of, ant
the Oepartmt be placed upon ground entirel,
satisfactory those who may serve in it, and b
effective andseful for he city, by the rejection
of the act with the citizens are now asked to &C
cept. and theassage of an ordinance declaring
that allmori raised by the city for the supper
or improvemt of the Department, shall be dis
posed Of by e engineers under their response
bility to the ity, in the exercise of that iudg
ment which ty are supposed to possess whe
they are elect, and with that better knowledg
which they arsupposed to have, than can ordins
rlly be had members of the City Council, {
the apparatuslaced in their charge, and the NJ
cessity there ito enlarge or improve it.