The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-03-10
TEE FIRE DEPARTMENT DIFFICULTY.
TEE FIRE DEPARTMENT DIFFICULTY.
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The Great Unpaid and Their
Anniversaries.
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The Contest Being Waged In
Albany.
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ARGUMENT OF COUNSEL,
Co., &C., 90.

The interest In the case Of the bill Ito create Metro
politan Fire district and establish Q Fire Department
therein which has passed the Senate and which every
effort being made 10 have carried through the Assem-
bly,, il reaching its climax tho end approaches
After various hearings before Senate committee,
bill 70 reorganise the Fire Department Of New York.
TO the extent Of overthrowng the present voluntary
system and replacing It by paid body Of men,
passed the Senate and came before the House. from
whence II was referred TO the Committee Cities. The
action Of tho advocates Of this bill is opposed by the
whole force and influence of the aremen Of New York,
represented by their chief officers and leaders, who do not
like TO thoir organization long honor and bull
wark the city demolished fell swoop To
dy some OF the acknowledged OWLS which unavodaby
grew up with the present systc the remen themselves
anxious for their fair fame and at the Same time do
srous for tho succession of their ordor unimparcd TO
other times adopted ordinance For the Better Rcgu
laton Of the Firemen Of the City Of Now York; which
ordinance the "Mayor, Aldermen and Commonal-
ty OF the city, In Common Council convened"
ratified on tho slst Of December last This
ordinance has been since then the Fundamental
law Of the department. though not egalized and Is
believed that will remedy all the evils which the OPP
poncnts OF tho department charge to tho OF
the working OF tho present syst With this conviction
they have submitted TO the Leg stature, and pray that
may i've the OF and be transformed into
act TO be entitled act for the better reg laton OF
the rcmcn OF the city Of Now York. and thus to render
nugaoy and unnecessary the bill which has passed tho
Senate "To metropolitan Fire Department and
establish fire department therein" The advocates of
the old and Of the system have assembled here in
great force. committee, representing bankers and
insurance companies and other citizens, here OPP
posing the s'ordiHancc" and supporting the Senate bill
While the other hand the department is represented
by Chief Engine Decker and other heads Of tho organ
ization.
On Tuesday last tho committee to whom the whole
subject had been referred in the Court of Appeals
chamber, Capitol buildings at halfpast three O'Clock
p NJ, TO hear argument Of counsel.
After some preliminary talk to the manner OF pro
ccodng, 1t decided that counsel for the nremcn
should first be heard
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF THE FrREMEN's oRDI-
NANCE
Mr. John Scdgwick, In support Of tho Ordinance bill
proceeded to address tho committee The present sys
tom Of voluntary Grc organization should continue till
at loas scheme OF Improvement settled upon
The plea in favor Of which presented greater
economy was unsupported by facts figures far Us
the Senate bill won't The whole desire OF tho opponents
OF the present system seemed centre In the scheme
OF paid organization, and yet in tho bill that had
passed the Senate there provision for paid
partment The Senate committee had testified to the
personal good character body OF the rcmen of tho
city OF Now York, though it charged that the lusrc
of the caor days Of tho department had been somewhat
furnished OF late Certainly that not circumstance
peculiar confined TO the Fro Department II
tended tho other side that undcr another systcm
better order and less frequent OF tumu would
prevail II was also c0ncnded that because the present
authorities Of the Fire Department had framed ord
nance TO render perfect system, II was to be
conceded In consequence that In tho past they had neg
lccted their duties This very untenabe and in
nfioI nf ltf Ia
FORE while their opponents advocated paid department.
hey lad made provision for establishing such in their
an annual salary Of $500 each, and
his body he would show was entirely unnecessary to
Sa o. the S New rns n
Brooklyn had outgrown tho present system was |
1eV inconcusve and unmeaning. The complaints, |
Df the alarm bel! amounted 10 very little But stiIl II
has been nude matter Of importance to discontinue the
lire boil It might naturally be supposed that some pro-
vision would be made for in The BILL which rs Lot tho
,ase Tho substitution OF horses for hand traction
also designed as REFORM and YET no provision is made
been ctcd a. example Of the success Of paid depart
nent at very small cost the annual expenses OF the
$4,000 1t was proposed to emulate tho example OF
Liverpool in this respect Of economy; but the salaries
bill at $14,0o0-wi,hin $1,000 Of tho stated
Expenses OF Liverpool The report Of the senate |
tnlgnr IN criticism anon tSs reuor, and sueretans OF
the Engineer Of the Fire Department u Cincinna,D,
closed by saying that hcrc were parties who feared that
difficulties might be encountered II 70 radical and fun
damcnta change now made, and that II these fears
well founded they alone offered strong argument
In favor OF such CHANGE that Notwithstanding The com
mttce believe that while tho nrcmcn devoted 10 |
tho department II, as whole body, would yield to
their devotion 10 the law He contcndcd and submitted
that no higher compliment could bc paid more |
deserved, 10 the remcn Of Now York. AZ brave In peril
and danger as they have ever found plant and
obeden to the laws But there measure In tho
proposed ball which the rcmcn could not or ought not
TO be asked TO overlook II that no provision was
a.la
claims upon the department, md upon the community
at large, neglected and unthoupht Of This one
fact perhaps more than any other prompted the action
OF the Aromon In tbs matter TO respectfully OPP |
pose the innovation proposed and TO sssbmit 70 |
the Leg stature that the ordinance under which the
department at present controlled and directed
all that needed could DO desired by the great mass
ofu heir fellow citizens Besides the proposed act
most crude in conception and meagre and imperfect in
its details that vitality could he given 70 It, II
worJed In Of It's sections that tho whole four
commissioners could be either all appointed from New
York or all from Brooklyn-commssioners VINO shall
form Metropolitan Fire Department, and who shall
have control and management or all officers, men, prop
erty and action for tho prevention and cxtin
punishment Of ares within the said district Mr. Sedg
wick conended that in certain contingencies the CON-
which case they would completely control expenditure
70 be levied ON thu city OF New York. They would
thus have the unlimited power the appropriations
and they could spend as much money Us they
pleased Tho idea OF economy WAS absurd from the
Issdbs Of tho bll for under i they might give the
foemen 81 500 year each, aud the engineers &c. 00
and lie contended that tho ordinance OF the cor
poration, tho hremen's bill, would I'LL the i'm
provemcnts required, and make the department both
cminently useful and crediiable 10 Tire city OF New
York Ii was apractical bin, coming FROM men who
had daily experience Of the subject matter Of the bill
Thoy knew the requirements Of such department. and
their experience taught them all that necessary,
ard this they had embodied in the bill which they
now asked the Legislature to pass. BY the bill the
appointment Of officers aud their duration in
ONCE we're defined, provision which would do
away with the practice Of the past viz: that OF the
Chief Engineer and other officers looking TO the
votes Of the department for their continuance in Office
There besides practical economy In tho BILL pro
vidcd for the prompt repair of oil apparatus while u
limits the Chief Engineer 10 disbursements Cor such TO
SIS for any particular repair Instead Of the assistant
engineers being elected from general ticket they must
be elected from tho district Ia which they reside and FOR
duty within that district II II bc desire Of the
Legislature 10 pass bill establishing economy and one
which will efficiency nihe department he claimed
that this bill did all this, It's provisions we're all
specially drawn 10 that object. There was also
section 10 good order and behavior among the
members II shall he deemed msdemeanor for