New-York tribune., 1919-09-17

sum sufficient to permit the things
here stated.
"Thc frcmen are convinced that in
granting the increase asked for your
honorable board viii have the entire
approval Of tho people out Of whose
pockets any additional expenditures
must come. II is unnecessary to give
here tho we'll known figures Of tho in
crcasjng cost of living which has
brought about such wonderful changes
in tho economic structure OF tho
world and which responsible for
increases of from so to 100 per cent
in the pay of workers in all the trades
Surely the people, cognizanl 0f the fac.
that the dollar to-day is worth little
more than so cents, AS compared with
several years ago. arc willing to sec
the pay of the employees of the city
keep pace with the wages paid to men
on the out<Ec for less hours of duty
and less risk Of life and limb.
"Aside from the good will which the
people have always had for the tircmen
there are three reasons why the best
interests of the city re qure approval of
this petition by your honorable board.
They arc as follows:
81. Hours of duty: Inn all the Fed
eral, state and city service the fire.
men alone have been excluded from
the benefits of an cight-hour day.
The fireman is the only employc IN
or outside the public service who is
compelled to give anynthig like twcn-
ty hours in each twenty-four in
order to earn livelihood. The fire
men appreciate the fact that there is
in operation in part of the city
two latoon system but even under
twoplatoon system the tiremen give
four to the service. More than half
of the men are yet doing duty under
.he continuous system. with its
twenty hours Of duty in every twenty
four.
"2 Few applications for service
Eligible List exhausted. The steady
decrease in the number of
qualified young men who are willing
to do fire duty should be food for
serious thought on the part of the
city The entire eligible list has
been exhausted and the Fire Com
missioner must wait until new list
is established in order to fill va
cancles.' The present pay and the
long hours of duty have combined
to make the position Of fireman less
and less attractive. The city has met
this condition by steadily, year af-
ter year, lowering the bars of the
physical examination from five feet
seven and one e-half inches to five
feet six inches and dHt'ing the war
increased the age TO 35 years in the
hope Of getting sufficient supply
Of eligibles. Any real competition
in the mental examination has been
eliminated by its simplicity. No
longer are young men attracted to
the service from the various trades.
The cause is we'll known. The young
men realize that the union scale of
wages is higher than the pay if the
ses for uniforms, the long hours of
fire department without the eXpen-
duty and the risks of the fire ser
vice.
"3. 4 square deal for willing
mon The iiremon ask only enough
pay upon which 20 live with decen-
cy. They poiNt 20 the fact that out
side labor without their risks is re-
cejvinS higher wages. They point TO
the fact that in force Of five thous-
and mcr they are protecting the
hvs Of more than six millions Of
people and property assessed 1T
eleven billions Of dollars.
Compared to Other Cities
"Thcy point to tho fact i'll proper
tion to the number of lives and the
amoun, of property protected the
frcmcn Of New York hear a greater
burden than the tircmcn Of any other
city. In the matter Of lives protec-
ted. alone. every other city of the
state has force from ono TO two
and one halt times larger than that
of this city. Boston. for instance,
With population Of about eight
hundred thousand has a fire force
of eleven hundred officers and men.
And yet the assessed valuation of the
real estate of New wYork City is
twice the combined valuation OF all
the New England states.
"Ne ask the Board of Estimate anc
Aprortionmcnt to consider the man
datory expenses for uniforms anC
equipment, which reduce the salary
paid to us at present by nearly $500
a year. The price of our uniforms has
almost doubled We receive no com
pensation for the clothing and aquip-
ment damaged or destroyed at fires
We are required to pay for the making
! up of the beds upon which we sleep.
"Hundrcds of iiremcn must borrow
money in order to keep their familic;
! upon their present salary. In the las
twelve months the increase Of rents il
! tho city has been an additional bur
den to the firemcn who arc compelled
to live within tn ccty limits"
The petition is signed by Albert 7,
| Guinness. Hook and Ladder, No. "a
, Anton Hoterbach Engine Co, No
259; w. J. Anderson. Hook and Lad
/ der No. 90: Charles NJ. Dixon, Engine
! Co., No 90; Herbert Muhlkcr, Engin,
| Co. No. %; Frederick Stevens, Hool
and Ladder No. ia.