The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-16
MAYOR VISITS THE
 FIRE COMMISSION
Starts Inquiry Concerning Acquisitions of Depart
 ment for Coming Year
Charley Lee, New Commits
 sioner, Inquires Concern
 ing Lay Offs of Fire Fight

Mayor Lee couldn't find much to kick about at the meeting of the fire
 board last night although he went over the department acquisitions and asked if this or that figure could not be reduced. President Bullard said there was one item of $5,00O for cable which might be stricken out as it could be asked for next year. The ca fire alarm telegraph underground.
 President Bullard assured the mayor that the fire board would live within it's appropriations this year and he showed that the amounts asked for in the regular appropriation were not ex- cessive. Clerk Hall showed the exact expense of each company, the cost of feeding each horse in the department, and separate account for all sup plies. It was interesting to note that the cost of running the LOcOmObile chemical engine had been $276 for the past twelve months, an average of $23 per month. All of the commissioners admitted this was cheaper than the maintenance of a pair of horses and an ordinary piece of horsedrawn ap- paratuS.
 The mayor asked if 100 hydrants was not too many to set in one year. Pres ident Bullard said he had map of the city in his office with pins stuck in it at places where hydrants were needed. He said there were 250 pins in the map. He explained that the city was growing so fast and that so much new building was going on that the hydrants had to be set to keep abreast of the times. He offered to take the mayor to various places about the city and show where hy- drants were needed. At one place in Connecticut avenue he said there were twenty families living and it was over 8 thousand feet to the nearest hy- drant. One of the buildings was a large frame tenement house.
 Charles Lee, one of the new n10n- bers of the board asked if it was not true that members of the department were getting off promiscuOusly and that they were absent during times when there were alarms of fire. He was informed by Commissioner Strong that it was true that men were allow ed an occasional leaveof absence of not more than two hours, but the board was always cognizant of the instances through the daily report sheets of each company.
 s The mayor asked if the firemen of Bridgeport did not have more days off than any other city. President Bullard said they had more than the ffrenen of any other city the size of Bridgeport, but there were places where the time allowed off was great CT than in this city. He read list of a score of American cities showing the days off allowed firemen. Among ulation of 3S1, ,000 which gives five days a month off. New York city gives one day off i'll every five. The commissioners stated it was the com mon council which voted the four days leave of absence.
 The mayor told the board it ought to have a regular meeting night the same as other boards. President Bullard said he had no objections. He said the board had always had meetings when it was necessary to have them, meeting sometimes once a month and sometimes several times in one week If the occasion demanded it. . Under the system governing the conduct of the fire department each of the commissioners is furnished with a monthly statement showing 1 how much money has been spent from 1 each appropriation and the payrolls | are inspected by the commissioners. have been allowed to keep in touch with the affairs of the department i without regular meetings. All of the 1 orders for supplies and the bills against the department are issued in 1 triplicate form and the system is the same as that used i'll any large indus trial plant.
 Mayor Lee criticized the proposed | plan to build building for storage in | John street saying it was a swamp. ! Commissioner Crawford said the kind of building that was needed would : probably not require cellar.
 Now that the Congress street bridge is to be done away with for a time Chief Mooney asked the board to l arrange a signal so that the depart ment would know when either the | Stratford avenue or East Washington avenue bridges were open.
 A. H. Bullard was reelected pres ident and he starts upon his fourth consecutive year as head of the board.