Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-05-14
TURN DOWN MAYORS PLAN
Unfavorable Report on Proposed
Consolidation of Offices.
Fire Commissioners Ask for Motor
Driven Ladder Truck and Hint mt
Other Requests along the
Same Line.

The special committee of the board of
aldermen. at the adjourned session of the
board Monday, returned an unfavorable
report on the mayors proposition to com
bine the offices of health officer, medical
inspector of the public schools and milk
and food inspector. The board of fire
commissioners also appeared before the
aldermen with a suggestion that tho APP
paratus OF the fire department was be-
coming antiquated and they suggested
that new hook and ladder truck, motor
driven, was in the line OF progress. Some
other items of business were taken up
and the board adjourned.
The report OF the committee which was
commissioned to investigate the CONSOLE
dalton of offices mentioned reported that
they had held session at which the State
board of health was present, also the
school commissioners and Mayor Burke.
The mayor had addressed the boar at
length and the proposition was generally
discussed.
The committees report contained the
finding of the state board of health, which
was to the effect that the offices of health
officer milk and food Inspector and med
ical inspector in Burlington might be COM
bincd, one man giving all his time to all
three offices, under certain conditions. The
State board was heartily in favor of
whoe-time health officer The proposed
combination was exceptional, the board
of health thought, and the importance Of
the medical inspection of the public
schools should not be lost sight Of If the
combination is made great care should be
exercised in the choice of a man properly
qualified Provision should he made for
sufficient assistance in time of emergency
and also during the inspection of the
school children at the fall term and N
least one whole-time nurse should be en-
ployed.
The report of the board of school COM
mssioncrs was to the effect that the
members failed to see how the proposed
plan is in the interest of economy or eff
cheney and that they had unanimously
voted to continue the present arrange
ment.
In view of these opinions, the al
dermanic committee reported they
would recommend an unfavorable re-
port on the proposition. The board Of
fire commissioners was given audience
on the subject of the apparent neces-
sity of motor driven apparatus for
Perkins acting as spokesman. Mr..
Perkins said it was apparent that the
city needed new apparatus in it's fire
department The three wagons which
were purchased 10 years ago, when
the paid department was established
were still in use. These wagons when
they were bought cost s6s5 each
They should now be replaced in whole
or in part by motor driven trucks, as
is being done in the other departments
in the country. Mr.. Perkins said that
new hook and ladder truck this
year. The present horse truck is
very heavy and cumbersome although
1t is obliged to go to all the fires. 1t
is great strain on tho horses to pull
1t. This apparatus can be sold for
from $1,000 to $500, which could be
applied on the purchase price of a new
truck. 1t costs at the present time
about $500 year to keep a team for
the truck, also the cost of $72O for
driver, The man docs nothing
but drive and sits around while
the fire is in progress holding
the horses. If there were motor
truck the driver could be utilized in
working with the other firemen. The
commissioners figured that with the
various items of saving a motor
driven ladder truck could be purchas-
ed at an actual cost to the city of
$4,000, and there would be a further
saving every year. This was all they
asked for at the present time. To equip