Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-06-22
WITH THIS FOURTH
FIREWORKS REIGN
ENDS IN NEWARK
Captain Gasser Notifies Dealers
to Get Rid of Their
Store.

AHo AtO GOh - "a
will be permitted to be sold in Newark
after this year. CONFIDENT with grant
ing several permits today for the sale of
fireworks this year Captain C. Albert
Gasser, chief Of the Bureau OF Com
bustibles and Fire Risks. made this
announcement.
Thirty dealers put In their applica-
tons today to sell fireworks. 1t Is
possible that the total number issued
this year will reach $50. That is a small
number compared with four years ago,
when the department was established,
when more than four hundred permits
we're issued. Eleven of these were
Wholesale. Now there are only four
wholesalers in the business in New
ark.
Gradual elimination of the fireworks
has been the policy of Captain Gassert.
BY the prohibition of the larger, more
dangerous kinds of fireworks, which are
the sort most profitable for the dealers
to handle, the city has reduced the sale
of fireworks to a point where the au-
thorities reasonably hope to abolish
their use altogether next year. There
Is a paragraph in the fire prevention
code which gives the chief of the bureau
of combustibles that power. 1t says:
Fire Prevention Codes Clause.
mo fireworks prohibited by the bu-
reau of combustibles and fire risks
shall be kept in stock, sold or given
away"
SO here Is fair warning. The patri-
otto youth who feels like displaying his
enthusiasm by producing volumes of
noise and smoke will have his last
chance now.
Public opinion would not have upheld
him, the chief of the bureau feels, had
he attempted to put this policy Into eff
feet four years ago. But now the pub
lie has been educated to the point
where the great danger in fireworks Is
generally recognized. Through the eff
forts of Mr.. Gssser an ordinance has
been enacted which has kept h city
free from fireworks displays at re-
ligious and social and political gath
crings. There has been no such dis
play since the passage of the fire pre-
%vention, code on December % last, II
Mr.. Gasser succeeds in his avowed In
ton of cutting out all fireworks he Will
have put Newark in a class Of cities
led by Washington, D.. c., where the
elimination of fireworks has resulted
in so much satisfaction.
Course Saves Dealers Losses.
Continuing his argument. Mr.. Gasser
says he mas had to serve notice each
year upon dealers. both wholesale and
retail, specifying the action to be taken
the following year, in order that New
ark business men who had invested
their money would not be caught with
heavy losses. In this way large fire.
crackers were tabooed. cartridge pistols
and cannon. gunpowder and blank and
bullet cartridges all came under the
ban, and all this was accomplished
without financial loss to the people
most interested.
During the five years of Mr.. Gas
ser's work there has been a steady
decrease in the number of fires and
accidents on the Fourth of July. The
number ran we'll up beyond the hundred
mark year after year. u recently
these figures have bee reduced. and
last year the total number of injuries.
and many OF tneSe were OF a minor
character. was eleven.
81 am now ready to bring about a
fireworkless Fourth of July" said Mr.
Gasser today. Il have had his step
in mind for several years. but l couldn't
see my way clear to bring about the
change. 1t could not be done over
night. None of these things can be
done as quickly as they might be writ
ten.
"Haste Is OFTEN Unwise."
There are many matters to be con-
sidered and haste is often unwise in
public affairs. / believe 1 have done
right in having helped to bring about
this change in public opinion and I am
now ready to go as far as l can.
Under the present ordinances as
found in the fire prevention code. no
dealer is permitted to handle, sell or
| give away any fireworks which might
be or may be prohibited by the bureau
of combustibles. So, you see, even
without additional ordinances this
office can almost kill the fireworks
business as it stands. And I am now
serving notice on dealers who apply
here for permits that it would be we'll
for them to sell out all their goods this
year, which will probably be their last
SAFE.AND-SANE PROGRAM