The Detroit times., 1909-04-19
|EL0R WHACKS
FIRE BOARD HARD
ooys Money Allowed To Make En-
gine Houses Safer For Firemen
Was Diverted To Other Purposes
chafees -of q strlklng lnataEs agaiRst

Charges OF a striking mature against
f The management OF the fire depart
ment funds were made by Estimator
J0hn Delor. OF the Seventh ward. In
the meeting of the board OF estimates,
+ Friday evening The IRE department
committee of the estimators had I'm
ishsd its tour In the afternoon ana
Delor arose to report on conditions
that had been found.
THE department has transferred
funds during the year. and now comes
& 20 ~ for items allowed In 1908. but the
money for which has been spent for
other purposes" he asserted. In one
4 engine house, the door is SO low that
\ the driver In coming out has 10 lie
down on his seat. II he we're TO for
get and put his head up. his neck
would be broken.
We were urged a. year ago 10 al
low 800 to fx that door and did so
but found IL In the same condition
when we went to that engine house
today. The hremen had been taking
chances all year. In another engine
house. there II beam running across
which makes IL dangerous, as a man
might get his head knocked on. But
that was not fixed either. although the
money was allowed. In another place
we found the firemen sleeping In beds
On the moor. That il no way TO treat
the men whose duty IL is To defend our
prpperty.
II ind that the department bought
I'VE new apparatus the past year. in
stead Of three. trading In two old sets
and having the council transfer funds
90 make up the cost. They put the
automobile company I'm a different
place than the one where II was stat
~ II was to go and at additional ex-
'penee."
# Delor had list Of items which
were allowed last year and are asked
Tor again and will use II IN the meet
Ing of the ESTIMATOR committee with
the fire commissioners. Monday night.
This proves that the board OF esti-
mates should be given greater rather
than less powers" he said after the
meeting In referring to the fire depart
'ment transfers Of money. He favors
- plan whereby the board OF estimates
would meet about once a month dur
Ing the year and have authority in
matters OF transferring money from
one fund to another. thus keeping a
'oupervision over the city departments
md making sure that money is spent
Tor the purpose for which 1t is al
bowed.
The fire fund committee is almost
>certain to cut out the estimate for a
new engine house in the Eighteenth
ward, and that for one at Hamilton
boulevard and Euclid-ave.. the first be-
cause OF lack OF paving and the latter
because the neighborhood is not thick
Nv populated.
The committee in charge or the
ExArbage fund inspected the receiving
kptation site at the foot OF Twenty
fourth-st., which is now offered 10 the
[t1ty for $4,000. Supt. Aldrich told
The estimators that the land is worth
@f0, 900 or more and that 1t will be
N0ld TO someone else IL the city does
not buy IL. II is 100 feet wide on West
[Jeferson-ave.. and 300 feet deep, the
river end being largely under water.
Va IL 10 sold TO someone other than the
city, he intimated, the garbage station
will be forced to move or the rent
considerably Increased.
Aldrich proposed that the lot be
|<1rcly filed in and that a wharf then
|pe constructed TO receive water ship
|nents OF materials for the city. He de-
|c1ared II would be hard TO find another
El0cation for a station.
Mayor Breitmeyer has expressed
4kmeek az In favor OF a park In this
IIocalfty and this site might be used an
[Dort Of park IL the garbage station
- moved later. The objection made
ny the estlmators was that the De
Itxcdt Reduction Co. which receives the
IK1rbage, should furnish the receiving
5I<atton.
Tho health and poor fund committee
Has finished its report. For the poor
|c6mmission, t90.454 is allowed, the
|only important cnt being $1,000 in the
Dutdoor relief fsind- The improve.
5nents In the contagious disease hos
{D1kal. desired by the health board,
<&nre cut TO $4,000, one-third OF the
amount originally asked for for this
year. The total health fund Is fixed
,t elso.sas.
The increase in wages asked for the
nrbage wagon drivers will be disal-
rived.