The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-20
COUNCIL AND COMMISSION.
FIRE DEPARTMENT APPROPRIA-
TION MAY BE CUT DOWN.

prONements-lt proposes to Put the
Fire Alarm Wires Under Ground
AnyhOw-The Commission Not Con-
suited by Council in Reference to
the Budget Nor in Regard to the
Bills Recently Recharged Against
the Department.
In view of the talk that council may cut
down the appropriation to the fire de-
partment for the coming year, a Morning
News reporter asked Chairman w. L.
Grayson yesterday what the fire commits
sion would do about it if such should be
the case.
The commission asked for an increase
in its budget of about $4,000 for the pur-
pose of establishing new hose stations in
Robertsville and south of Anderson street,
putting the fire alarm wires under ground,
increasing the pay of experienced fremen
to $65 a month and several smaller i'm
| provements.
I'VE shall simply go ahead and give
the city the best fire department which
can possibly be given it for the money"
Mr.. Grayson said.
1--WE shall make some improvements,
no matter what Appropriation council gives
us, even if we have 10 cut down the force
| to make them. The placing of the fire
alarm wires under ground in the business
district is absolutely necessary. We are
liable at any time to storms, which may
render the service worthless in few
hours as was the case in the storm of
September of last year, when the whole
fire alarm service of the city was render
ed useless for several days, The CITY was
in darkness, and it was necessary 10 send
out firemen from the engine houses to pa
troll the streets in order that early notice
Of any fire might be given. BY the courte-
sy of the Bel Telephone Company, which
has offered the city the use of its con-
duits for the fire alrm and police tele-
graph wires free of charge these
wires can now be put under
ground in the business district at a com
paratively small cost The amount which
the work will cost is estimated at $1,000
for the fire department alone or $4,000 for
both police and fire departments. We shall
make this Improvement next year at any
rate
Mr.. Grayson said the commission will
have a number of bills before the next
meeting of council on Dec. 20, as the fire
commission holds that it has not exceeded
its budget and that it still has money to
it's credit. The difference is, of course, on
account of the charging to the fire depart
| ment appropriation the expenditures for
the new engine house, which the commits
sion claimed should be charged to the pub
lie properly account. The fire commission
ers do not acknowledge this charge as
correct. They figure that they are about
gR0 a.
ures that they are about 5000 in excess.
Council will in all likelihood refuse to pass
the bills from the fire department which
may come before ii at its next meeting.
, This change was made without con-
. sulting u.s. said Chairman Grayson. I'VE
, would have been glad of an opportunity to
, have appeared before council to advocate
our position in the matter but We were
, given no such opportunity. We can show
by indisputable evidence that it was in
tended that the fire department should
have the chief claim on the public property
appropriation for $1,000 for the purchase
and improvement of the new engine house
The council not only recharged bills, which
had been charged to the public property
account, to the fire department, but also
, recharged a payment of 81, $50, which had
been made at the beginning of the year
under the Myers administration and
charged to the public property account, to
Tie account Of the fire department.
MIR. Grayson does not think this action
of council legal, but he would not say
what the commission will do about the
matter
I'VE would also have been glad of an
; opportunity" said Mr.. Grayson ito have
appeared before council in reference to
, the budget. We made recommndatio in
our recent report to the mayor which
certainly cannot be passed upon intelii-
gently by that body without giving us an
I ODDOrtuuitV to pXDlain 10 N
, view. This was the course pursued by
the last council. We We're granted what
we asked by that council, and could have
scured an increase had 1t not
been specifically understood that
we should have first claim up.
on the public property appropriation.
We have recommended. among other
things, that hose stations be established
: in Robertsville and the southwestern seq
ton of the city. There has been a large
growth in those sections in recent years.
| and the fire risk has been greatly increas-
= ed. In the southwestern section our idea
was to establish the hose station at some
point between Bun street and the Ogee-
chez road, and between Fifth and Tenth
streets. There Is a large amount of nrop-
erty there which is distant from any en-
CINE house. Another request made by us
which has been commented upon unfa-
vorably by some members of council was
! that the pay of firemen be increased from
SOJ 10 200 per month. ms increase was
not to apply to all members of the depart
ment. but only to experienced men. A
= fireman now goes on the force as q second
| class { 41et at S95 per month. After awhile
he reaches the first class a $40 a month
, When he is appointed a fireman he gets
. only $50 month the first year, $55 a month
the second, and $50 a month the third
; our idea is that there should be another
increase in pay the fourth year to $65 a
, month and that those who have served
! this length Of time or longer should re-
ceive this increase.
, THE police receive $65 a month said
Mr.. Grayson, land do duty only eight
hours out of the twenty-four. A fireman
who receives $50 to $50 month. Is on duty
, nine days out of ten.
when the matter is fully looked into 7
/ do not think our request for a sufficient
amount to increase the salaries of these
1remen by IS a month is so very unreas-
enable The men who would be benefite5
by the Increase are not appointees OF tbe
commission. They were oil on the forca
when we took charge"
Mr.. Grayson said he will call upon Mavor
5 ! Mp1drfrn to-day in rafDrapoa - 10y "