The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-16
BEDDING CITIZENS
 RALLY TO AID OF
 FIRE DEPARTMENT I
Additions Made to Previously Disclosed Shortage of
 Tax Collector.

Redding, June 16.-Under circuT1- stances full of encouragement for it's future. the local fire department was reorganized Monday evening at a meeting held in the Sanford school gym and attended by about 60 citizens, including a. good delegation from the Center Previously the departments personnel had consisted wholly of the officers. A gift of $50 from Daniel q. Wood in. recognition of the depart ment's s services at the recent fire on his premises and a collection of $21.6o were pleasing. incidents of Monday evenings session. This will extinsu1sh the departments debt of about $6O and leave a small balance. The apparatus, consisting of three small chemical en- zines. cost $645 about three years ago and there remained $55 due upon it. The sudden and general awakening of public interest in the department is due partly to the succession of fires from which the town has suffered and partly to the proven efficiency ot the apparatus as shown in a number of instances.
 H. s. Barnes was chairman of the meeting Secretary .Gower of the bod gingtown fire department told how that organization had been started and maintained and how greatly 1t was appreciated by the community John Muennich the founder and mainstay of the Bedding department, outlined what it was desired and expected to accomplish. He said there should be secured a fourth engine for the east side and two for the Center to be To- cated in that section. A truck, ladders and buckets and a power pump and hose to take water from wells should
 also be provided. Judge Sanford said
 the Center was very deSirous Of hre
 protection and would gladly cooper
 ate in the work of adding to the de- partment's S equipment for the purpose
 Replying to an inquiry the chairman said that the plan was to extend the
 service to the town limits on the north
 and south for the east side, including Pleasant Va11ex. and the Center, 1n- cluding hometown. The election of of
 fcers resulted in the choice of Her bert $. Barnes as president. Samuel C. Shaw vice-president and John Muen-
 nfch, secretary and treasurer. It was also voted that the officers report to the next meeting the draft of con stitution and bylaws, recommenda- tions as to the choice of a foreman and two assistants and also whether they deemed it desirable to obtain in corporation Fffty-f1ve signatures were appended to the membership list with the tentative understanding that the monthly. dues be ten cents MT.
 Muennich announced that on the eve hing of July Bedding grange would give a, dramatic entertainment for the
 benefit of the department, donating the entire receipts. The meeting ad- 1 journed to Tuesday evening or next
 week when it is expected that the re- maining details of the organization i will be completed. The infant depart Inent has had hard struggle for ex- istence. but now enters upon a new 1 phase promising materially increased
 capabilities and usefulness
 The $1,800 shortage in the accounts i of former Tax Collector Duncan which was disclosed from the recent exam ination by the town auditors is being added to through the production of receipts by persons against whom
 charges appeared on the books. The list of these record debtors, comprised 1 3S0 names and MT. .Muennich, the new
 collector, promptly sent bills to $50 of them The remaining 30 will receive like notice as soon as he obtains their
 addresses. The first days returns con
 sisted of three receipts, showing pay
 ment of porperty taxes on the 1911 list 1 for a total of S85 and two personal tax
 payments made last month. Other
 parties heard from clair to have paid, and are hunting for, some form of ac-
 know1edgment to prove their asser- 1 tions That Duncan withheld money i due the town as far back as 1912 indf- cates a worse condition than was first