The age-herald., 1901-02-14

2 One htstr slazs engine. men ard horses. a hszd4nsxAks.
 : One light servics truns. men and sorses, ts bs located by chies.
 f. One double sixty-EAilcn chcrnaesi. men a.pf horse1 at hca6quArter1.
 6 New building law and appoa:ttmaut of competent building inspector.
 C. rifteen additional nvs alarm bcxcs to be located by the chies.
 [. Additional hsdfants. NNmber and location to l,e decided hy chaes.
 Respectfully,
 II. NJ. TANNER,
 Special Agent.
 Means First-ciass Rating.
 MT. Klotz asked if the conditions out lined !n the communication were com piled with would Birmingham then he placed on a frst-class basis-a Soc basis instead of 75c basis, as at present.
 "It assuredly will," was MT. Tanners reply.
 MT. Blach wanted to know if this first class rating would be permanerA Mir Tanner replied that it would be permanent provided the fire protection asked for was maintained. Mir Tanner laid particular stress upon the value of the chemical engine. It was indispensable in fire service. He also emphasized the fact that while Birming- ham had grown much in ten years, yet it's fire department, both as to the num- ber of men and apparatus. was less to- day than 1t was ten years ago. The chair called upon Alderman Kerr to express an opinion as to the proposed law creating building inspector Mir. Kerr said he would not be prepared to say until he knew more of the conetions which were to govern the operations Of the proposed inspection law. AS to the feasibility of the city providing the in creased fire protection asked for, MT. Kerr did not take a very hopeful view. He doubted the city's ability to meet the requirements at this time, yet he said that any opinion he might entertain must be regarded only as his individual opinion.
 MT. Roll here asked MT. Tanner what merchants would save on every thousand dollars of insurance If the basis were changed from the 75c basis now in vogue to the 5Oc basis which came with a first class rating.
 "The saving will be $2.50 thousand,'' '' said MT. Tanner.
 Mr. Tanner was asked if the city com piled with the association's demands would the three-quarters value clause be abolished and the reinsurance clause sub stituted, to which the agent replied that that was not in his province. He said that in order to settle that question the board would have to take 1t up with the secretary in Atlanta. "A1l I can do is to fix the rating" said MT Tanner.
 Chief MulIin.
 Chief Mullin was then called upon to give an expression of opinion on MT Tan ner's proposition. He thought well of 1t. He suggested that 1t might be economy to use combination truck and chemical apparatus. MT. Tanner said the trouble with that arrangement would be lack of speed in reaching a fire. The principal ad- vantage in the chemical engine was in the quick time it made. It reaches the scene as quickly as the chiefs wagon
 Chief Mullin admitted that a chemical engine, independent of a combination ap- paratus, was far preferable. He said that about 75 per cent ios fires could be put out in their incipiYicy by chemical en- zines.
 The chief estimated that the installa- tion of the increased fire protection, ex- elusive of hydrants asked for by MT. Tanner, would cost about $11, 700, and that it's maintenance would cost something like $13,O00 year.
 As h,,il inc ha Chtof said he could detail good man from the department for that duty without addi- tional cost to the city
 In reply to the question about addi- tional hydrants, MT. Tanner intimated that he would not insist upon any given number, but would be satisfied with whatever the chief might deem sufficient.
 MT. Tomlinson had received a letter from the fire chief of Chattanooga, giv- ing information about the equipment of that city. Chattanooga has only 23S hy- drants, against 251 in use in Birmingham. That city employees 34 firemen against 31 in Birmingham. It has stations, the same number that Birmingham now maintains.
 Free Discussion.
 There was a free expression of the members of the board in favor of urging the city to provide the department with t cr n1ical engine and such other appa- |. would enable the citizens to get ch insurance. And as one of them exp: ssed it. leaving out the question of insurance this city should have a better department on general principles. H. <~fA AH linson, promised to call a meeting of the finance committee for this evening at ' o'clock to take up the matter and request the members of the fire committee to be present.
 There being nothing further to be said on the insurance matter, MT. Tanner, MT. Kerr and Chief Mullin retired and the board proceeded with other business. On motion President O'Neill sent a tel egram to each member of the Jefferson County delegation in the Legislature as | follows: "The Board of Trade has taken | action calling upon the Jefferson County | delegation to make utmost effort to de- | feat the bill amending Inferior Criminal | Court law
 | The board of control adjourned subjec. | 10 the call of the president.