The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1896-05-19
Era Matters.

Fire Matters.
There is room for improvement in tn
Mount Holly fire department by havin
it and the township authorities in close
relation, so that the latter may know
more of the needs of and can co-operat
with the fremen. As now constituted
the department or its chief is responsible,
to no one, nor is each company RESPONSE
bic to any one except as matter of sen
timent. The township furnishes a Ger
year, but has no voice whatever in fir,
matters, and knows comparatively moth
ing of the condition of the department
If there was some plan whereby thu
tor in the department, the latter woulC
be benefited greatly. Possibly the bes
way to reach this end would be to have
the committee appoint the chief engineer
instead of having him elected by the com
panies The chief would then feel re
sponslble to the committee for his actions
and the authorities would take an inter
est in fire matters. BY being represent
atiye of the township committee tht
chief would have more power and conlt
enforce discipline in the department. Ii
most other towns of any size, the people
are represented in some way. often BY
fire commissioners. which system nigh
be adopted here if the township com
mittee is not selected.
There is an act (chapter 207 of laws o
1884, under which the town meeting
may appropriate money for fire purposes
and have the department under tn,
supervision of the township committee, a
above mentioned. The act seems to b.
what is needed here now.
The old question of poor water sup
ply for fire purposes was again forcibl,
demonstrated last Monday There ar,
not many fire bydrants IN the neighbor
hood of last weeks confagration. and bu
one of them was of any account, the on
at the corner of King and Washington
streets. No plug service whatever coulC
be secured for the Bispham street fire
and steamer had to be used when it wal
badly needed at the mill.
This condition of affairs will always ex
list in the lower part of the town unless
larger water mains are placed on severa
of the streets. The present small, forty
year-old main on Washington street, fol-
instance, cannot be expected to give 6
good fire stream. Attention has beer
called to this matter time and time again
but nothing is done and the subject il
dropped until the next fire occurs.
n IN
The weakest point in the Mount Holly
fire department is the absence of liberal
supply of good hose. The limited guam
tlty on hand is not all first-class and liable
to burst the next time it is used. 1t has
been ascertainei that there is not over q
total of 1900 feet in town that can be
called frst-class. In other departments
this amount is not considered sufficient
for even one company. If the Taxpayers
do not take some action in the matter al
the special town meeting that will be
called for this purpose, no one can com
plain if the next fire gets beyond the con-
troll of the department.
The small sum of $1,000 per annum
now received from the township does not
cut much of figure when divided among
four companies. but it ls the only income
the fremen have except what they con-
tribute themselves or raise by fairs and
suppers. 1t is but reasonable to ask the
township to supply the hose in addition
to making the annual appropriation.
Burlington iremen were greatly sur
prised, last Monday, at the insufficient
supply of hose in the Mount Holly fire
department, and the poor condition OF
most of that which was in service. In
that city the fremen receive different
treatment from the taxpayers than our
boys do in Mount Holly. Within the
past year Burli 1gton's city council has
expended on their fire department about
S., 100, or as much as the Mount Holly
department has received from the town
ship in the past five years.
n
The total insurance on the carpet mill
and machinery was $l25.0O0. held by Jos
eph Fl. Gaskill, receiver, and w. & J
Sloane. 1t was placed in the following
companies