The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-06
sba1. 400 s2s. ass rs s141. 5ia u

volved northumberland 1868. $50 90
Total insurance involved. 5s1, 400 90
Total loss by fire ........... 141,519 90
Total insurance loss. 29,769 20
Total net loss over insur- sIl
During the year the volunteers
were allowed the following amounts
for attendance at fires: May, $97;
June. 70 cents; July. sS3; August.
$3.50; September. sS6.75; October.
s1725: November. $3.50; December.
| 1875; January, $SS4.75; February, $675;
| March, $2.25; April. $3.50. t6-
II will here state in regard to the
| volunteers, that, taking them as a
whole. have always been their friend
and propose to remain so. 1t is a fact,
however. which cannot be denied. that
while some of the best young men of
| the city are members of the volun-
teers' association. their ranks also in
clude a number of characters who, to
say the least. are not proper persons
| to have a voice in the management OF
any department of the city. 1t IL also
| fact that there are a number Of
| volunteers who are members of the as
ISOLATION simply in order to participate
| in the annual election of a chief and
! assistant chief, at which time their
votes are very easily controlled, and
| in order to draw rs cents an hour for
| each fire. they attend, whether their
services are required or not. The fact
| that have not allowed the volunteers
time at fires, except in cases where
they actually worked, has occasioned
some i'll feeling on. their part, but i
believe that have performed my duty
| in this matter in preventing a reck-
| less and needless expenditure OF the
| city funds, as is shown by the financial
| portion of this report. Without max
| ing any recommendation on this point
may state that IL Is my opinion that
fxu0 addiffonal maid mon would do
more and better work than all Of the
volunteers, and would also put the de-
partment in much better shape to night
a big conf1agration or two good sized
| fires at the same time. Butte hasfbeen
| fortunate in the past In the matter OF
| fires. but we have no assurance from
| Providence, that this protection Will be
continued and IL is not at all improb a-
BILE that two fires may break out in
| different parts of the city at the same
| time any day. ff
metropolitan system is introduced. the
| appointment of a chief and assistant
chief of this department should rest
| entirely with the mayor and city coun-
| Gil. and that in making these appoint
ments they should be advised. II at
all. by the property owners and tax
payers and others who have large In
| terests at stake, rather than be gov
| erned by the volunteers. who. to say
| the least. are not interested to any
comparative degree with the classes
previously mentioned.
Butte Is the only city OF any size
| in the country where the city council
| is governed in the matter of appoint
ments by a volunteers association.
and believe that voice the senti-
ments of the entire responsible por-
| ton OF the community when / say that
| the present system is both ANTICIPATED
| and unsatisfactory. Believing this 10
be a fact, and desiring to introduce a
more modern system. / refused TO al
| low my name to go before the volun-
teers as a candidate for chief. Hereto
| fore the paid men have had a voice
| in the election OF the chief. and their
votes and influence naturally went to
| the man who appointed them. this Civ
ing the incumbent of the Office an un-
due and unfair advantage. / have Ia
bored hard 10 keep politics out OF the
| department. and to further this
would respectfully recommend the APP
pointment OF a non-political board OF
| FIRE commissioners. to be given control
OF this department.
The present force of the Butte IRE