Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-06-17

lcompanies will be gone but one, ant
that one will be the paid company
Aud here I wish to say that that ON
paid company will be worth all you
volunteers. The volunteers are playe'
out: you can't depend on them; if yo'
do yon will have your whole tow
burned up one of these days. w
have no paid department. Give US ont
good company and an alarm and you will
find yourselves better off than with sever
volunteer companies. l say therefore
don't attempt to maintain part of the
volunteers and incur that expense; they
will not stay long after paid company
is established, and the sooner you lei
them quit the better for the town"
| Aid. Corken then made a motion that
the fire department appropriation be $1S,.
700 instead of $4,000, and Aid. Larkin
promptly seconded the motion. This
was defeated by two>thlrds vote. Give
us $4,000. then" said Aid. Corken. and
a motion to that effect was also defeated.
Aid. Buncher took occasion to remark
that he WAS in full sympathy with the
paid department idea, and that he real
lied that something had got to be done
this year. but nothing better could be
done under the head of appropriations.
That is my fix" said Aid. Schroeder
III We could see our way TO doing il, |
would be for giving twice SlS 900 for a
paid department. However, we will ar,
rive at some plan in some other way per-
haps."
As it WAS. Aid. Corken and the other
friends of the paid department did not
feel disc outraged. 10 fact they were sat
isfied that the way had been opened to a
paid department and that they would not
cease until it was obtained The amount
of the appropriation was larger than ever
before, and they propose TO preserve and
protect it for that purpose only.
The plan most generally agreed upon,
aud one that is likely to receive the sup,
port of the entire council, is to sell the
Rescue lot and what other city lots can
be disposed of for enough to start the
paid department and get so much of the
equipment and apparatus as is necessary
on time payments, thus reserving the
sc, 900 for actual running expenses. The
council rs determined to erect the build
ing on Flatiron square sufficient for the
hook and ladder truck, hose cart, and
perhaps the police patrol wagon, and to
put in an alarm this season, and the AR
GUS is confident the equipment will be
put there. too. The position taken by
many of the aldermen that if the paid
department is coming. all money expend
ed henceforth on the volunteers, is vast
ed, is thoroughly sound
EIGHT HOURS FOR THE wATERwoRKs
Aid. Evans succeeded in securing an
appropriation of S11 900 for the water
works department. which is 81 900 more
than was estimated, the purpose being to
put in an additional crew and reduce the
hours of work from twelve to eight. This
will necessitate an additional engineer
and fireman. The council was in thor.
| ough accord with the proposition, the
| only hysitancy on the part of some of the
aldermen being prompted by desire to
curtail on all funds as much as possible
in order that the fire department might
receive all the money available.
RAD BREAK.
Aid. Hetter distinguished himself by
| making about as bad a break as an alder
man is generally guilty of, and il is
probable that he msde it more in an aim
to be funny than to be sincere When
the aldermen were scratching their heads
and puzzline their brains with the finan-
cial problem, Hetter rose aud
| asked of the amount appropriated
tor Spencer square. how much
had been spent. The mayor replied that
it had about all been expended. 1T is
| good thing it has," was Hetter's self
important reply. the intimation being
| that the square would not fare so well,
had the money not been already put
out. The expression was an exhibition OF
exceedingly bad taste as well as display
of egotism. for if not one penny of the
appropriation for the square had been
paid out, there is not an alderman in the
council, unless it be Hetter, who is not
proud of the work that has been accom-
plished there and who begrudees any
| thing that has been spent there. Spen>
Ger square is, as it may we'll be, the pride
| of the council as well as of all our citi.
zens. and our best citizens have shown
their appreciation of the councils good
work there in liberal donations toward
identifying the park, for which the al.
dermen by their good Judgment laid the
foundation.
| River ktDlets.
| The temperature at noon today was 10
| The J. K. Graves came from down riv.
| or nninfo