St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-07
The Fire Commissioners Feal
They Will Suffer by the
Reduction
Proposed by the Delegation
for the Years Running
Expenses.
The Fast-Dy ing School Board
Sticks to It's Post OF
Duty.
An Appeal for Contributions
to Aid the Mount Vernon
Association.

The proposed action of the Ramsey
county delegation to cut down the ex-
penses of the fire department is being
viewed with serious alarm by the fire
commissioners and many merchants of
the city. When the fire department
came up for consideration at the hands
of the delegation the board of fire COM
missioners, on request, presented re-
port, showing that last year the eX
penses of the department amounted to
S256, 900. AS this sum included perma-
nent improvements and the pur-
chase of apparatus, the commits
sionerS made an estimate that
they could with safety run the
department for 1925, 600 a year. The
delegation looked with favor upon the
estimate, and intimated that they would
not interfere with the department be-
yond aboliShiDg the offices of fire war
dens, requested by the fire commission
erS.
Last week, at a meeting of the dele
CATION, a motion was introduced by
Senator Lienau to cut down the estimate
of the fire department to S205, 900. This
motion was not acted upon at the time,
but will probably be decided this even
ing at the meeting of the delegation.
Should the estimate be cut down to
sos, 900, the fire b GARD feels that will be
a most serious matter, and will affect
the safety and interests of the whole
city. George Mitsch and Secretary Cor
man, of the board of fire commissioners,
in speaking of the matter yester-
day to a GLOBE reporter, stated that
| the board had always endeavored
to keep the expenses OF the department
as low as possible. but at the same time
| afford ample protection to the city. The
| salaries paid to the men are less than
| those paid in Minneapolis, and the
force was just sufficient, considering
| the size of the city.
Mr.. Misc h stated that the salary list
| of the department for the ensuing year
would be, at the lowest estimate,
| S1S5,000.
This win leave us $4,000 with which to
| purchase horses hose, fodder coal for the
| engines and houses. repairing broken appar-
| atuS and re placing any OF the engines or
| TRUCKS which may be destroyed by accident
| at fire. We may lie unfortunate enough to
| have apparatus rendered useless by falling
! walls; horses may die or break their limbs
| hose is constantly bursting and has TO be re-
| placed; we may have large fires which will
use up quantity of coal, and a number of
| items of expense constantly occur. yet the
| delegation wishes to cut down our eXF 5
| after deducting salaries from $4,000 10 49,
UUU ne DOarO OF IRE COMMISSIONERS are neitNy
| taxpayers. and are naturally DESTROYS OF keep
| ing expenses down, but ii we are tied down
to this sum it win be most serious matter.
| How do we know that the city may not be
visited by a series of large fires? We may
have to spend the $4,000 in perhaps nine
| months, and what would that mean? Why,
| we would have engines and horses to go to
fires, and no coal to work the apparatus or,
| perhaps, we might have no hose, or our
horses would have to be starved in order that
we might buy coal and hose. / am not draw
| ing an alarming picture for if we are only
allowed the $50. 600 in addition to the salary
list, our hands and the hands of the council
will be tied, and we will be unable to pur-
chase 10 cents worth of oats or a pound OF
coal if the working Of the department re-
| quired it,