Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-05-06
HOSE BIDDERS
ARE SUBJECT TO
CHICAGO RULE
Western Concern Is Made New
aFk's Official Agent by
s. Fire Board.
UNDERWRITERS LABEL
TO BE PLACED ON GOODS
Fire Chaplains Ask Commits
sioners to House and Man
Their Automobiles.

Resentment that the Board of Fir
Commissioners should require all bid
for fire hose to be under the super
vision of the Underwriters Labora
tories, Inc, of Chicago, was expressed
at a meeting of the board yesterda!
afternoon by Clay Baird, represent
Ing the Bi-Lateral Fire Hose Com
pany. The specifications laid dow
by the board for the 5000 feet o
hose required that the bid be mad,
and tests conducted under the super
vision of the Chicago concern, which
it is said, is a close corporation.
The specifica tions also required
that the stamp of the Underwriters
Laboratories, Inc, be placed on ever.
length, or fifty feet, of hose. Th'
successful bidder will be forced tc
nay the Chicago concern a sum oil
money for every length so stamped
the outlay being for labels. This re-
quirement places the bidders under
the domination of the Chicago con-
germ, which, under the terms of the
specifications, is made the official
agent of the city of Newark in the
fire hose transaction.
munication sent to the board by his
firm, Mr.. Baird said yesterday that
his company had never before been
required to place a bid with under
writer's supervision. Mr.. Baird did
not criticize the action of the board,
but appeared surprised that this re-
qslirement should be included In the
specifications. His firm, he said, was
willing to conform to standards set
4 toou
Ten other firms placed bids for the
5000 feet, more or less, of 21a-inch
fire hose. The bids received were the
second set on the hose, which the
board intends to purchase, the bids
received at the last meeting two
weeks ago being thrown out, and
new specifications made up.
A Bundle of Bids.
The bids received yesterday were
the following: Bi-Lateral Fire Hose
Company. so cents per foot; Diamond
Rubber Company, Akron, o., "Dia-
rnond" brand hose, 80 cents per foot;
.gTitan" brand, so cents per foot;
Municipal Fire Hose Company,
Akron, o., 55 cents per foot; Gutta
percha and Rubber Manufacturing
Company. New York city, "Walla-
bout" brand, 64 cents, four-ply Baker
Fabric brand, s115; Empire Rubber
and Fire Hose Company, Trenton,
Underwriters brand, So cents;
'sEmpire Best brand, SO cents.
Peninsula" brand. Ct cents, and
Special brand, 80 cents; United
Globe and Rubber Manufacturing
Company, Trenton, Underwriters y
brand, 67 cents; Multiple Jacket, 72
cents; Eureka Fire Hose Manufac-
turing Company, Jersey City,
Paragon" brand. $1.1O: Red
Gross" brand, 81; high pressure
Jacket fire hose. 60 cents; New
Jersey Car Spring and Rubber Com
many, Jersey City, multiple-woven
cotton fire hose. 81; Manhattan Rub
ber Manufacturing Company, Pas
sale, ECONOMY brand, 1887 cents;
VOORHEES, Rubber Manufacturing
Company, Jersey City, Overall
brand, 81; "Kearny" brand, 81, and
'sF'ire Model brand. 80 cents; New
ark Hardware and supply Company
Newark, 53A cents; Estate of IL. H.
Thompson, Akron, o., Municipal
brand fire hose, 55 cents.
The bids were laid over for future
consideration.
The report OF Chief Engineer Paul
j. Moore for the month of April
showed there were III alarms of fire
during the month, including one sec
ond and one third alarm. There were
also 81 still alarms. The estimated
damage from fires in the city was
$45. 1875
The board granted request from
Kenyon c. Hughes, secretary of the
Hilxer Monument Committee, that fire.
men who are veterans of the Span
ish War be allowed to take part in
the Memorial Day parade. The board
directed that the men make indivld-
lfal applications to Chief Moore for
time off to participate In the parade.
Chaplains Ask Concessions.
A request was received from the
chaplains of the department, Rev.
Michael p. Corcoran and Rev. DR..
James Clayton Howard, that they be
permitted to keep their department
automobiles in the stations of En-
gine Companies Nos. and 4. and
that two men be assigned as chauf-
feurs. The machines were presented
TO the chaplains by committees of
citizens, one in December last and
the other last month.
The communication of the chap
iains to the board stated that "the
ohaplains, since their assignment,
were given assurance that facilities
would be provided for their attend
ance at fires, sick visitauons, station
duties, etc. Yet, from the beginning
To the present, they have been re-
Quired, like Israel in Egypt, to make
brick without straw. They have re-
spended to alarms through darkest
nights and coldest days. through
binding storms and drenching rains.
They have permitted nothing, but i'm
perative parish duties, or absence
from home, to interfere with the call
OF duty in the department.
''They have not faltered in the face
of danger or the call for service any
where. These facts being known to
some of our public-spirited citizens
they have generously provided the
chaplains with cars, equipped for
fire duty, rescue work, ministration
to the sick and injured, etc.
because of this most gracious ex-
preston of good will and kindly CO.
operation on the part of these infiu-
ential citizens and because of the
needs of the service your chaplains
feel justified in requesting your hon.
orable board to provide shelter fol
the chaplains' cars in the stations oi
Engines 2 and 4, If possible, and fue
and repairs incidental to the service
also a driver for each car. This lat
ter request will mean the actual gair
Of two men to the department, fol
each man will cover fully double the
number of alarms to which he re-
sponds now. The chaplains will b'