South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-07-14
Safety Board Will Take up
Several important Matters
is Now Discussing
Budget.
FIRE DEPARTMENT IN
NEED OF FACILITIES
Aerial Truck or Booster Water
Pump Question to be Aired
All Budgets Are Due
in Thursday.

Further consideration of the peti-
tiOns recently filed hv the mem bers of
the police and fire departments will
be given by the board of public safety
at its regular meeting Friday morn
ing At that time also, the board will
endeavOr to give its budget Of appro-
priatiOns for next year its finishing
touches.
Opinions at the city hall as to
whether the firemen and the police
men Will be given iT creases in salary,
differ. 1t is said IN some quarters
that the police department will have
a better chance with the city council
than the firemen, since the police pc
tition set forth really logical reasons
for increases in salaries for both Off
GERS and patrolmen.
The hremen were represented last
year. at which time the police failed
10 present a petition. 1t was said
that the latter neglected to appeal for
raises at that time so that the cOun-
ellis consideration would be devoted eX-
clusively TO the fire department petit
ton.
Meeting is Important.
The question OF fire fighting facih
ties, the budget Of appropriations, and
the two petitions for salary increases,
promises to make the meeting of Fri
day one of the most important in re-
cent years. The old problem of pur-
chasing either an aerial ladder truck
or a booster water pump for the fire
department has not yet been discussed
by the board, but il is thought that
this will come up for the first time
Friday.
Mayor Keller was the first to recon-
mend the purchase of one of the two
apparatuses last year. He at that
time was waging a fight to place South
Bend into the second classification IN
the Indiana fire insurance rating. The
matter was taken up with the Indiana
inspection bureau, which in a letter TO
the mayor said that before the city
could be advanced, either an aerial
truck or a pressure pump would be
necessary facilities in the fire depart
ment.
Mayor Keller has not taken up the
matter at all this year. Instead he
has allowed the question TO rest with
ing the jurisdiction of the safety
board and Fire Chief Irving w. Sibrel.
1t is thought to be a certainty, how
ever. that the matter will be threshed
out at Fridays meeting.
Find No Budget.
Reporters seeking a peep at the
budgets Of the safety board and OF the
board Of public works were refused
Wednesday morning. 1t was said that
UOIn were UO ldl SCI IMAM AAlOoN "a
last year However. the board of pub
lie works is supervising several inn
provements in the city which will
prove far more expensive than the
work of the last year. although IT was
in 1914 that the greater expense or
the Bowman sewer was incurred.
The Michigan st. sewer and possible
pavement in 1916. the pavement of
Mishawaka av., and the installation or
several pipe and trunk sewers in the
city. together with other paving pro-
jects, will prove a severe drain on
the works boards funds for the COM
ing year. Some of the boards i'm
provement expenses have been de-
creased. it was said, by the turning
over to the board of park commissions
ers several thoroughfares. all i'm
provement of which will be supervised
by that board.
Not much is to be learned of the
proposed activities of the park board.
Pres't Richard Elbel made a near
threat To the council at its last meet
ing that he and his fellow-members
would ask several special donations
To their miscellaneous fund for work
which is at present being planned.
What that work was he did not state.
but il is understood that the city S
CONTINUED OK PAGE TWO)