Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-28
F|REMEN FIRM IN
REFUSING To AGREE
TO COUNCIL TERMS
Five Volunteer Companies Will
Not Sign for Year at Rate
Proposed, They State.
"ALL OR NOTHING" is
DEMAND OF FIRE FIGHTERS

Faced with the fact that contracts with
the fire companies may not be made Tor
more nor less than q wear from September
first-and the other fact that five OF the
volunteer companies persist in their re-
f,,sal 10 sign up for another year ut the
rate offered. the probabilities at present
seem To be that Council viii decide IN
the public interest TO pay the full excess OF
81 500 for which the companies contend
The matter came up at special Council
session last evening at which eight of the
members we're present, as we'll ~ the Of
ficials of Weccacoc, Fame. Washington,
Iabertv and Phoenix companies, who at
tended when called up by telephone.
The ruling as TO the time for which
contracts may be made WAS IN the shape
Of an opinion hy the city solicitor. This
barred out the acceptance Of the com
promise four months contracts offered by
the protesting hremen, whereupon the
other side asked whether 81 300 advance
would not be accepted, instead OF the
81, 800 asked. But this was not sntis-
factory TO the men. whose stand was all
or nothing.
A decision must be reached by Tuesday
night AZ latest and another special meet
ing Of Council has been called for that
date, when the final verdict viii bc reach
ed. !,
When the eight members OF Council
had dirested the Huxley opinion, last
night. and realized that they could not act
being less than the necessary two-thirds
majority. they took recess to await the
attendance OF the heads of the FIVE fire
companies.
To them Councilman Forwood ex-
ku*
squeeze out an additional 81 300 allow
ance but nothing more.
Michael i. Cannon, president OF the
Liberty company, was willing TO submit
the 81 800 proposal TO his men, but the
representatives of the other four conn
panies were persistent in their attitude
that not a cent less than the 81 500 re-
aestcd would suffice for their companies
needs.
w. II. Conneily, of Weccacoe company,
protested that "the firemen have never
been taken seriously by the Council,
and further made the point that extra
appropriations made during the year would
be Illegal and could be restrained by mum
ton sued out by any taxpayer. lie also
raised the question whether contracts
awarded without having been advertised
were legal.
Representatives of Fame, Washington
! and PhGnix companies agreed that moth
ing under 81 500, additional would bt
accepted by those companies.
Mr.. Connolly stated incidentally thai
the communication sent to Council iron
Weccacoe Company was not official, ano
that his own views were contained IN 6
statement printed in Every Evening re
Gently.
''The only thing we care to consider II
| either the 81 500 increase or four months
contract; our records show just what we
will do, was MIR. Connelly's final state
ment
While partisans of the companies in
terpret last nights incident as Favorable
to the insurgent companies, friends OF tn
Council argue that they indicate split II
the solidarity of the firemen's alignmen
the significance of which can only, be un
derstood by those in touch with the su b
surface politics involved.