The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-02
APPOINTMENTS AT LAST
FIRE COlIMISSTONERS FILL ALI
 VACANCIES IN DEPA ARTMENT.
Also Appointed an Extra Captain at Last Nights Meeting-Fire Marshal F"ncher Elected Chief, Captain GIad- win Fire Marshal, and Lieutenants Condren and Woodruff Captains-. How the Board Was Divided.

WI" rNo 4uarshhl, ana Lieutenants
 Condren and Woodruff Captains-
 How the Board Was Divided.
 The board of fire commissioners last night made the appointments which have for some time been due and expected and also some which were not expected. The appoint ments made are as follows: Superintendent, Rufus s. Fancher; fire marshal, Captain J. G. Gladwin of engine company No. 9: clerk, Silas J. Metzger; captain, Lieutenant Joseph Condren of steamer No. 4; captain of truck No. ?. Lieutenant George s. Woodruff of steamer No. &; lieutenant, John E. James, hoseman of steamer No. g; hoseman. M. w. Lutz, substi- tute list The unexpected appointment was that of captain for truck No. 2 which has previously been in charge of a lieutenant
 The matter of appointments was be- gun by Commissioner Well asking for vote on the amendments to the rules of the department, proposed by him at the last previous meeting. The first amendment acted upon was that pro- viding for the substitution of the word three" for the word -four" in section 6 of the rules, which has previously re- Quired the votes of four members of the board to make appointments. This amendment was passed without objec- fino Tho r,a Iod Joat clerk and secretary of the board should not be subject to the rules and regulations of sections 1, and g of the rules as regards age, weight, height and service. This amendment was adopted by a votc of to 2, Commits sioners Well, Cunningham and Kegel- meyer voting yes, and Commissioners Ames and Hendrick no.
 The next amendment brought up was one providing for the striking out of the words "on recommendation of the chief and" from section IA of the rules Commissioner Hendrick said he hoped this would not pass MT. Cunningham moved the adoption of the amendment MT. Hendrick said: T object to this because by doing so you will depart from custom that has been in vogue in the board of fire commissioners for the last thirty years. If that passes, taking away the power of the chief, which from time immemorial he had, to recommend, I think it is pretty small I can't see why the chief is not the proper one to recommend concern ing the men who serve under him. He is the man we hold responsible. He is the executive officer of the department; we here are simply legislators Chairman Ames also objected and said What one of the commissioners knows as much about the qualifica- tions of the men in the department as the chief? The chief was hired for that and don't believe it is the inten- tion of the charter to take it out of his hands, since the charter says he Is to be responsible. If he says man Is not qualified for position and the board votes to put that man in, how that mans doings?"
 Commissioner Kegelmeyer-"Why is it that the police department has no such rule, if 1t is necessary for effi- ciency?"
 Commissioner Cunningham-"We are acting in conformity with the charter"
 Commissioner Hendrick-"Yes; we know what you are doing."
 Commissioner Weil-''The passage of that amendment don't prevent asking the chief for his recommendation at any time"
 Commissioner Kegelmeyer The civil service board gives us list of eligible candidates for positions in the department and I do not see the need of giving the chief power of recom- mendation from that list when all whose names are on the list are eligi- ble."
 The amendment was then carried by vote of 3-2 divided as was the pre- vious vote. The election of superin- tendent was the next business and Fire Marshal Fancher was unanimous ly elected to the position.
 The election of clerk was next moved. Commissioner Hendrick mov- ed that the salary of the clerk be fixed before clerk was elected. He said the clerk of the department had been re- ceiving $1,200 per year and it took a clerk a number of years to raise to that sum. He said that former Clerk Pres colt was promoted from call clerk at $500 per year to permanent clerk at $1,- 200 per year, the increase being given because MT. Prescott was a good pen man, quick at figures and was obliged to leave a position where he was re- ceiving nearly that much to accept the permanent clerkship of the fire depart ment. He then said: 'We can get clerks who are stenographers at less money than $1,2Oo. Very few clerks get S1, 000."
 Commissioner Alnes said that he thought that if any member of the board was to hire new clerk in his private business he would not pay such new clerk as much as a man who had been with him for years. Mir. Ames thought that the salary of clerk should be graded to increase each year until it reaches s1,20O. Commissioner Hendricks motion was lost, however, by a vote of 3-2. The names of those eligible for appointment as clerk were then read, among the names being those of George B. Woolson, who received a mark of g per cent. on the civil ser- vice examination and S. J. Metzger, who received 71 per cent. The vote was by roll call and Mir. Metzger was elect a5 tho yofac Of Communication,