The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-04-21
Eiremen's Augmentation.

When the Northampton Fire Depart
ment, at it's annual meeting in Septem
Der, agreed upon the manner in which
the township appropriations should be
divided, it was supposed that would be
conclusive as that was the way in which
the question had been handled in pre-.
vious years years. The decision was not
reached until after long and spirited
debate in which considerable feeling was
displayed. After the meeting had adj
journed and some of the members of the
department got to thinking about the
matter, there were grumblings and dis
content and the township committee
was asked to make division of the
funds other than in the way in which
the annual meeting had decided upon.
The committee did not act on the ques-
ton but asked the various fire companies
to appoint committees to confer with the
township committee and see what could
be DONE Two of the companies refused
to do this.
At the meeting of the township COM
mittee, Tuesday evening, a resolution
was offered which, if it had been adopt
ed, would have made very unequal
distribution, and after short talk the
resolution was withdrawn.
Then the township committee con-
sidered another plan and adopted reso-
luton conforming to the provisions of a
law passed in 1910, which reads thus:
ut shall be lawful for the township
committee of any township in this state,
and they are hereby authorized and en-
powered, to enter into contract with any
volunteer fire company or companies,
now or hereafter organized in such town.
ships, for the purpose of eXtinguishing
tires; and the amount or amounts to be
paid such company or companies shall
be paid out of the moneys raised by the
general tax levy and paid in the same
manner as other moneys are paid by
such township committee. The fire
company or companies entering into
such contract shall be under the super
vision and control of the township COM
mittee and shall be considered as doing
public fire duty"
The township committee is now about
to do what many persons thought ought
to have been long ago done. Heretofore
money appropriated has been apportion-
ed according to the request or desire of
the different companies, based upon their
own ideas of how much they thought
they were entitled to. Under the action
of the committee the money will be
spent upon the judgment of the town
ship committee after an investigation
into the objects for which the cash is
wanted. 1t will therefore be likely in
some years one company may get more
than it would under the old system but
1t is certain that the expenditures will
be in accordance with the actual neces-
sites.
The new system will give what has
never yet been made public-a state
ment of what the money appropriated |
for fire purposes is used for. 1t is pro-
posed to give the township committee |
entire control and discretion in the mat |
ter. The companies now have outside |
sources of revenue. America hose house |
is rented by the township for monthly |
meetings and for elections, bringing in a |
revenue of about $85 per year. Union |
and Good Intent houses are used for |
CiCCtoh pun poSSS, Will TeluTn Oh 20 |
each per year. Relief does not have anV |
source of revenue outside of the township |
money but the fines and dues received |
from its members.
The township committee does not in
tend to interfere with the fines and dues |
and rentals. They will go into the
treasures of the companies as usual, to |
be used for little items that will be too
slight for the township committee to
Under the law the township committee !
and the fire companies must make
The provisions of this have
not yet been fully determined upon but
will be presented to the companies in
time for action at the next monthly
In the event of any company
to agree to the contract it will
De allowed to run as an independent con-
,ern and depend upon its own resources
or revenue. 1t is not probable, how
ever, that there will be any objection to
,he new plan as many of the members
If the various companies have expressed
themselves as perfectly satisfied with the
new arrangement.