Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-09-08

COST OF MAINTAINING rAID DEPARTMENT.
To provide for the maintenance and
efficiency of the department, if con-
Quoted upon the principle of the cities of
Baltimore, Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia,
would require Il larger amount of money
than most people, even those interested
i'm this plan, arc aware of. The salaries
of the officers and men, feed for horses,
etc, at u low estimate, would annually
cost fourteen thousand dollars.
But there are ways of conducting a
paid department at 4 much less expense,
that is 10y employing the men and
horses by the city, ut work on the
streets, and such other labor as the city
is cOmpelled1o employ otherwise This,
we fear, would destroy the efficiency of
the department..
Where is the money to come from to
meet this outlay? is the question that
strikes us most fOrcibly. To borrow
this amount of money under the law
the question would have TO he submit
ted to the people for their approval.
Your committee have reason to doubt
whether the verdict would he in its ia
vOr, when the facts become generally
known that the amount necessary
would almost exhaust the whole amount
dllOWeu uINlVI IllC law W uOllOWCus
But there is another serious question
connected with borrowing to our con-
stitutiOnal limit, and that is that we
would exhaust ourselves too much for
should an unexpected emergency arise
in the water department requiring a
large amount of mOney-(and here al
low us to remark that we consider the
day not far distant when the question of
increased water supply will have to be
met by councils )-should this emergen-
cy arise, we say, we would be in a hope
less condition to meet it financially
other than by direct taxation.
To meet the cost 10y direct taxation of
the change of system would require an
increase of the present rate of five mills
or one dollar and forty cents Oh the
hundred valuation for city purposes for
the next year. Our citizens are already
complaining of the high rate of taxes,
and what complaining would there be
were this amount added ? There seems
to he considerable opposition manifest
ed against the present conncils for plac-
ing an additional two mills on the pres
ent year, when the real cause belongs
elsewhere.
These facts, gentlemen of councils, we
wish to call your attention to, that you
may act intelligently and knowingly.
But your committee nevertheless do
not deny the fact that in their opinion
the merits of paid fire department are
far superior I'm every respect to any other
system, and while not desiring to intlu-
encc you for or against either of the sys-
TENS and plans reported by your COM
mittee, We ask fair, thorough and in
telligent opinion from your honorable
bodies.
The Volunteer system.
This system We find, upon inquiry
and correspondence with sister cities,
exists with great satisfaction and eff
cheney in the cities of Reading, Harris
burg, Allentown, and other cities i'm this
state, and in Wilmington, Del, bat we
find that the departments arc managed
differently from the one existing here.
In the cities cited the councils have full
control of the companies, electing the
chief and assistant engineers, have juris-
diction and control over the officers of.
the department exclusively, prescribe
rules for the management and govern
ment of the companies, limit the age of
members. seeking adnittance, have
supervision and inspection of the habits,