The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-22
FIRE AND POLICE BILL
Measure Considered BY the Council
Last Night.
SALARIES OF THE CHIEFS
THEY ARE SUBJECTED TO THE
PAIRING PROCESS.
Clause Creating a Captain of Police
Is Killed-Number of Sergeants
Increased-No Appointments By
the Mayor-The sprinkling Cues
ton Debated at Length.

The city council last night passed the
new ordinances governing the police
and fire departments, awarded the con-
tract for sprinkling carts to the Stude-
| baker Bros, and transacted a large
amount of other business, which pro-
! longed the session until nearly mid
night.
The chief interest centered in the
fire and police ordinances. The police
ordinance was unanimously agreed
| upon in committee of the whole, but
several members had suffered change
of heart, with the result that the clause
creating the position of captain or as
sistant chief was knocked out, and the
number of duty sergeants increased
from two to three in lieu thereof.
| very interesting feature of the
proceedings was an increase of the
salary of the chief of the fire depart
ment from $125 to $40 per month and
a subsequent reconsideration Of this
action. This is explained by reason of
the opposition to Chief Pratt. The fire
ordinance was first taken up and
passed with an increase of the chiefs
salary. When the police ordinance
came up, the council, by. a, vote of s
to l. refused to increase the salary of
the chief of police Many were OPP
! head of one department, which fact &C
counted for reconsideration of the ac-
ton in relation to the salary of the
chief of the fire department.
The only other changes made We're in
the increasing of the salaries of drivers,
pipemen and laddermen from SIS to $50
per month, and the increase of the as
sistant jailer'S salary from SIS to $50
per month.
FIRE ORDINANCE.
The fire ordinance was first taken up
and put on it's final passage under a
suspension of the rules.
Robertson moved to increase the sal
aries of drivers, pipemen and ladder
men to $50 per month, and it passed
by unanimous vote.
Then Diehl moved an increase of the
chiefs salary to $500 per year, and
lengthy discussion followed the sup
porters of the motion celebrating on
the responsibility of the position.
Before the vote was taken, Fern
strom moved to amend by fixing the
salary at $40 pei month, or $1,6So per
year. After a good deal Of talk this
amendment carried by the following
vote:
Ayes-Allen, Buckle, Callister, Diehl,
Fernstrom, Patrick, Robertson and
Sideways.
Nays-Howe, Margetts, Morris, Rom
ney, Wallace, Weller and Barnes.
During the discussion of the salary
question, Romney declared there were
hundreds of men in Salt Lake City just
as competent as Pratt or Devine to fill
either position. Both, he said, were
resorting to all kinds of wire pulling
for the purpose of getting reappointed,
which he considered ample proof that
the salaries were satisfactory.
The vote on the Anal passage of the
fire ordinance was II to 4, Weller, ROM
ney, Wallace and Barnes voting no.
POLICE ORDINANCE.
The police ordinance was then taken
up and Barnes left the chair to move
to strike out the clause creating the
position of captain of police.
Morris declared that wise men often
changed their minds" and that he had
received new light on the subject since
voting in committee of the whole;
wherefore, he would support Barnes
motion.
Buckle became sarcastic and sug-
gested that no one would suspect there
were any wise men" in the council,
save for the fact that certain members
took occasion to make public an
nouncement of the fact.
The motion was, after some further
discussion, put and carried by a vote
of to 6.
Then Callister moved to increase the
chiefs salary from 81, 500 to S1,SOO. Allen
moved it be increased to $1,650 Both
caused good deal of debate, and were
lost by the following vote:
Ayes-Allen, Buckle Callister, Diehl,
Patrick, Robertson and Siddoway-7.
Nays-Fernstrom, Howe, Margetts,
Morris, Romney, Wallace, Weller and
Barnes-S.
The salary of the assistant jailer was
then increased to $3.50 per year, Rob-
ertson, Romney and Wallace voting
negatively.
final passage and was adopted by
vote of u to 8, Robertson, Romney and
Wallace voting against it.
A RECONSIDERATION.
A good many members who had vot-
ed for an increase of salary for the fire
chief now saw the injustice of the pro-
ceeding, and the fire ordinance was re-
considered, the. chiefs salary reduced
again to the old figure-$1, 800 per year
and the ordinance finally passed by a
vote of Is to 2, Buckle and Robertson
voting both against a reduction and the
ordinance itself.
SPRINKLING.
w N6n IuG COIIlIHlllSS It
port recommending acceptance of the
Studebaker bids to furnish twenty-five
carts for $3.50 came up, there was an
other outburst Of oratory.
Wallace said he was not yet prepared
to vote to buy sprinkling carts. He
thought the work could be done
cheaper.
Romney also spoke against buying
carts, owing to the financial condition
Of 1,n oif ION
as to which were the best carts, and he
favored that when the city finally did
buy carts. to procure different kinds
and test them.
Callister favored adopting the report
as q matter of economy. Anyone, he
suggested, could come in and make a
straw bid, saying he would do sprink-
ling for so much per year.
Patrick, chairman of the sorinkling
committee. said that body had made a
very thorough investigation. He had
sent to ogden for some information.
ogden does its own sprinkling, and
this had been found much more salts
factory than letting it out by contract.
Howe thought the difference between
$50 per month, Griffin's bid, and So
per day, the amount the city may ex-
pect to pay for man and team, was
worth the change, because the money
would be distributed among the tax
payers.
After some further discussion the re-
port was adopted by vote of twelve
70 fh,.An Doh nd NnI