The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-09
Board of Trade and Tariff Association Committee
 Get Together FIRE DEPARTMENT
 WILL BE INCREASED Atlanta Committee Agrees to Recon. mend That Birmingham Be Given Lower Rates If Conditions are
 Compiled With.

The Board of Trade and the committee from the Southeastern Tariff association got together yesterday afternoon and an agreement has been effected whereby Bir- mingham will get lower insurance rates.
 The agreement calls for some material increases in the fire department in the way of apparatus and men, and the elec- ton of a building inspector who shall enforce the building laws" which were passed in 1901, and which were pro- vided at that time by the tariff associa- ton.
 The agreement Is compromise between the requirements set forth by the tariff association in It's letter of December 2, 1904, to Mayor Drennen, and the promises made by Chairman Klotz of the Board of Trade in his letter of January 21, 1905, to the tariff association.
 Long Conference.
 The agreement was effected only after a conference lasting from 1:30 o'clock un- til 6 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and every article of the two propositions had been thrashed out and every point of dif- ference carefully adjusted.
 As a result of the meeting Birmingham will get the first-cass rating for the busi- ness section as soon as the promises are put in to effect, which will be very soon.
 1t looked for a while as if no agree ment was to be reached The committee from the tariff association insisted on a section of the letter of December which required that each hose wagon at sta- tions Nos. 1, 2 and should have eight men and that the aerial truck to be bought should be equipped with ten men. In place of these two conditions, the board made a counter promise of two new stations, one at Lake View and one near Richmond place with five men on each of the two hose wagons to be placed in these stations. Finally this latter promise of the Board of Trade was em- bodied in the agreement, and the tariff committee reduced its demand as follows:
 Demands Reduced.
 Seven men instead of eight men on each of the wagons at Nos. 1, 2 and 6, eight men instead of ten men on the new aerial truck. Also that Chief Mullin change men already in the department so as to add more hosemen in the fire district.
 The committee from the tariff associa- ton agreed to report favorably on the agreement to the tariff association at the next meeting, and the Board of Trade passed a resolution requesting the city council to make the necessary improve ments. Both of these reports practically mean an adoption by the two bodies which have final jurisdiction.
 The members of the committee from the tariff association explained that the reason they insisted on this increase Of men on the apparatus in the business dis trct was in order to have them at a fire immediately after 1t was discovered, as one man at fire when 1t starts was worth several who arrived later. They also preferred having one piece of ap- paratus fully equipped than two pieces half way equipped with men
 More Than Asked
 As a result of the agreement. the Tariff association is actually getting much more than 1t asked. It is getting the two new stations which it did not ask and which the members of the committee did not insist on, and the old aerial truck now in use is to be overhauled and repaired. made LID to date so that it can be used, and place in commission at southeside. Harry Jones, chairman of the fire com mittee of the Mayor and Aldermen, was probably responsible for the compromise being effected. But for his work 1t Is probable that nothing would have result ed from this meeting, and he was ably as-
  promises that he would personally see that the building laws are enforced after he becomes Mayor.
 MT. Jones went over tAe entire matter with the committee from the Tariff as- sociation He explained to them that the city was hard up financially, but that it had practically agreed to purchase the new equipment as it realized that 1t was needed. Further than the requirements or the Tariff association MT Jones stated that the city would equip the two new stations at once and would have also the old aerial truck reconstructed and put into service as a modern piece of appar- atus. He explained that this would be dcne, not because the Tariff association demanded 1t, but because the people in the residence sections deserved better protection. He told the tariff committed that the city could not maintain all the new equipment if they Insisted on having eight men on each of the hose wagons in the center of the city and ten men on the new aerial truck, that this would re- orire twenty-two men besides the ten men that would be put at the two new stations He stated positively that the city was acting in the best of faith with the insurance companies and the Tariff association and was really going to make