Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-05
NEW LONDON'S POLICE FORGE.
to Be Superintendent of Plant Building = Efforts in Behalf of Paid Fire Department.

of paid firenen and because their ideas do not meet with 5pnhlic ap- proval they actually lie inkwait to get a chance to get a crack at the vol unteer fire department, and when that cannot be done the achieF ements of- the department are not perpetuated in public print, and the especially good work of individual companies are to- tally Ignored. 1tswas not many moons ago when there was published a com munication showing that the per cap ita loss from fires in New London was larger than in other places where paid fire departments were established and used as en argument against the volunteer fire department. While all that was published might have been true as to the per capita loss, the period selected for calculation was that fair to the New London department, but a little matter of that kind made mo difference to the fellows that are singing the sledge against the wedge towards a paid fire department for this city. During the selected period there were the Pomerantz, the Wool worth and the Featherson fires with losses greater than in any like period in the past forty years
 The loss per capita Is a scheme of the underwriters ahdLfire- preventive agitators, but is not a fair test of the efficiency of the fire fighters, paid or volunteers, as many of the fires in the larger cities get away from the very hest of paid fire departments, just as do some fiji eS in smaller places from the volunteer f1remen and they could get beyond the control of the flremen just the same were they paid or volunteer men. If the efllows who prepared the fire table losses per cap ita for the period recently given out for publication, would not confine their work to a selected period and a comparatively short one at that, they would find that the fire losses In New London were infLiteesimal in com parison, per capita, with fire loss es in other cities with modern up- to- -the-mlnute paid fire departments, But fairT ess in that line would not suit their purpose of the compilers who are pronounced advocates of paid fire voluntee1 departme nts as of the same class, and without regard to equip ment and general efficiency.
 While New London has a volunteer department of eight companies and i've equipped with motor driven ap- paFatus, 1t claims; to have depart ment the equal at last of many paid fire departments in cities the size or even larger than New London, and that none are more efficient or con- ducted on more economical basis, ~-'S SA~S -SS eS "OA mag AOtN0 OA III - men larger than any othsr city in the state and there is always an adequate number of working f1remen whenever they are called to duty As a mat ter of fact, in the night season, there are as many firemen on duty in the fire houses of New London as in any other small city in the state, more than in any paid department, and the facilities for making quick response to alarms and doing effective work at a fire is just as good as any paid body of men. Why there are more men bunked in a single fire house in New London. ready at night to. respond to the first tap of the bell than there are paid 6remen in some small cities
 The time is rot ripe for a paid fire department. as paid fire. departments go. and it is waste of energy on the part of contributors to local news papers to be continually rapping the efficiency of the volunteers, by magni
 flying their few shortcofnings and ig. noring their many exhibits of efficien- cy and really valorous deeds. Some years ago O. loeaa newspaper fellow wrote authorttatively upon. the sane tum wall this order: When shy on local news knock the police; but praise the firemen." It now seems to be a case os knock both the police and firemen,