The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-03-20
ARE F|R.EMEN
UNDERPA|D?
Commissioner Summer Believes Ciy'S
Servants Should Receive
Better Wages.
ON DUTY s65 DAYS IN The YEAR.

County Commissioner j. B. Summer
is insisting upon reform in the city
fire department so far as the number
of hoTs the men are kept on duty Is
concerned. He insists that the force
should be doubled 30 that the flremen
could be on duty IL hours instead Of
"a. The commissioner was very en-
phatic in his statements and thought
Cat the city was doing great III
justice by its present system.
I'VE hear a lot Of talk from the diff
ferent tradesmen and people generally
about the length OF time a man must
work. There is a universal demand
for an eight-hour day all over the
country. The labor unions are de-.
-manding it, candidates for Offices es-
pOuse it because it is the popular
thing. preachers occasionally preach
about it; yet in spite of all this agi-
tation right here in our midst, sup
ported and controlled by the city, is
the worst case of serfdom and savery
that one could well imagine.
365 DAYS ANNUAL WORK
Men who are employed In the fi-e
department are compelled to work "a
hours day, and practically 365 days
in the year for from $50 to $50 a
month. according to the leagth Of
/ time they are in the service These
wages are less than carpenters, brick
layers, plasterers and Others receive
for eight hours work. Indeed, they
are not more than half what the or
dinary union jounreyman receives.
More than that, these men, | un-
derstand, are compelled to buy expen-
sive outfits at their own expense and
wear them out in the service of the
city. People forget also the clement
ot danger to which they are exposed.
The rush to the fires. the danger from
falling walls and other risks that are
encountered in fighting fire.s
These men get frcm to cents
an hour for the time actually on SER
vice. They are deprived of home life
and comforts, all social privileges,
and even when given day off they
are subject to call and are in reality
still on duty.
FIREMAN: AN ISSUE.
! If some of these great reformers
who are talking and working for
down-trodden humanity, want real
live issue and something practical 10
work upon, let them take up this
outrage. 1t is good time to agitats
it just when the city government Is
to be reorganized. The cost to the
city would not be very greet. There
are about 40 firemen employed who
get on an average $55 month This
would mean about $4,000 a year II
the force were doubled. That is less
g nf "a
inhabitants of the city. This is a
small sum to pay to allow 40 men to
have home privileges and live like We
all want to live. IL there ever was
a case where the golden rule should
apply, this is one of them.
WANTS AN AGITATION.
| "The only wonder to me Is that the
men endure the situation. 1t seems
to me that they would get dlsgpsted
with their situations and go to work
at something that would not take SO
much Of their time. Canton is proud
of her fire department. They save the
city thousands and possibly mi lions
wcrth of property every year, yet the
men who do this are treated like
/ slaves. Their work Is not hard, 1t Is
true, as general thing, but how
many business men and others who
put In 8 TO 10 hours day do We find
complaining because they have been
/ on duty so long? I.wish you would
| agitate this and get the people to
! thinking over the matter"
! The News Democrat some time ago
published an account OF the condi-
l'tions that exist in the fire department,
showing the length of time the men
work and the wages received. Al
that time 1t attracted considerable at
| tcntion. l.l-