The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-23
TREATMENTS SICK
 BENEFIT SOCIETY
 TO END ACTIVITY
Oldest Association of Kind
 In State Will Disband { Immediately.

About 40 members of the Firemen's s Benevolent Cooperation, the oldest sick benefit association of active fire men in the state, met yesterday after noon in Room sos, Court Exchange building and voted to disband and divide their $10.00o treasury. The cSr- poration which was formed in 1872, now has "A members in good stand ing. When the funds are divided they will receive $133.92 each.
 The association, has at present about $7.00O out at per cent. inter- est in call loans. As soon as Attorney Thomas M. Cullinan. counsel for the corporation, can arrange to have these loans paid in. which it is be- lieved can be done in about two weeks, the cash will be divided among the members. +.a
 The meeting yesterday was to have been called in the office of the fire commissioners, but former Chief Ed ward Mooney. who is president of the corporation. decided that the meeting might interfere with business which the commissioners would have and he procured another room from the jam itor of the building.
 The motion to disband and divide the money was made by Secretary Henry Tate and there was not a dis senting voice among the 40 members present. It was the largest meeting the corporation has held in eight years. One of the reasons for disbanding was that the members have lost interest in the association and for years 1t has been impossible to get. quorum at any of the meetings or to transact tho business according to the bylaws. Besides President Mooney and Secre- tary Tate the officers of the corpora ton are John F. Baum, financial sec retary, and James B. Burke, treasurer. The report of the treasurer read yes- terday afternoon showed something over $10,o00.
 Many ofs tke members are retired tremen or former commissioners of the department {:
 The corporation was organized in 1872 af+ar the fire in the Tomlinson Spring & Axle Co. factory, which for merly stood where the Blue Ribbon garage and Henry Carstesen's stables are now located. ~s
 In those days Chief Gerdenier and . few officers were the men who were stationed Rermanently in the fire houses were tn eonly paid members of the department. Several f1remen were injured at this fire and MT. Tom Hnson, grateful for the efforts of the fire fighters, not only took care of the injured men but donated $1OO to the department. It was then proposed to form a sick benefl association and the Ffremen's Benevolent corporation was organized. All active members of the department at that time were included, as well as the commissioners The plan was to pay $5 per week sick ben eft and $7 per week if a man were in. jured while on>duty. The payments were for 3 weeks in any one year In 1876 the. organization was incorpor-, ated.
 In later years, dissension broke out among the members and several fire men who sought admission were re-. fused membership. Other firemen. Knowing the circumstances. were afraid to apply for membership. The result was the society did not grow and of late years the members with the exception of few. have paid lit
 
 No new members have been taken in during the last eight years other than to pay their dues. As the as sociation is not DOW serving the pur- pose for which 1t was organized the members decided to disband.
 Another fact that hastened the dis solution of the association is the ac- ton of the active fire1hen who are preparing to form sidk benefit or ganization which will include all members of the department. The fire men have s5,10S. the proceeds of their spectacle Fighting the Flames" which will be the nucleus for the sick benefit fund. As in the past. idona- tions to the fire department have gone to the Firemen's Benevolent corpora ton, future donations will go to the iofi