Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-17
WATER WITCH co.
WANT VOLUNTEER
SYSTEM CONTINUED
Will Sign Contract for New Year
But Want Referendum on
Paid Fircmen.
EXPECT CRISIS THIS WEEK

Tho Water Witch Fire Co. last nj sht
went on record AZ opposed to the cstab-
lishnent Of paid fire department until
such time as the voters OF Wilmington
make demand for it by referendum
vote. The company agreed unanimously
TO sign now contract with the city.
A crisis in the fire department situation
is expected this week by city officials
who are closest in touch with develop
ments. AT q meeting two weeks ago City
Council, sitting as committee OF the
whole, refused 10 grant tho full appro-
priation of 81, 800 asked by the volunteer
companies, the expressed opinion Of n
majority of the Councilmen being that
when the time came, the volunteer com
panies would sign the contracts. 1t was
realized that the Friendship Co. might
refuse to sign, having voted to disband,
but some of the Councilmen were not sure
that the Friendship Co. would actually
disbsnd. IL was reported that minority
membership of the company was opposed
To dissolution, and would try To hold the
company together with new members.
Now il is reported on good authority
that the Phoenix Co. will refuse TO renew
its contract unless given a larger appro-
priation. Should these two companies,
the Friendship and Phoenix decline 20
renew their contracts, n situation would
exist which, in the opinion of many OF the
Counoilmen, would constitute an emer-
gency which would justify the city in
establishing a paid department without
tho authority of the Legislature.
The resolution of the Water Witch Co,
opposing a paid department, was as fol-
lows:
1--WE, the members of the Water Witch
L..
tinuance Of the volunteer fire department
until such time as the voters of Whining
ton, by referendum vote, decide other
vice.
One of the members of the Water
Witch Co, speaking for himself and his
comrades, said this morning: While we
are not satisfied with the amount OF the
appropriation that City Council has so far
given us, we are trusting to Council to
increase IL as soon as funds are available
from the new business and professions
tax We consider that the city is adc-
quately protected by the present volun-
teer system, and until such time as the
voters know what paid department is
going to cost them, and vote for ere, we
are opposed to the change. We ere tax
payers ourselves, and appreciate better
than the rest Of the public, probably, what
PAID department VIII cost the city.
IF the Friendship Co. goes out of
existence, do you think the city would
still be adequately protected" he was
asked
I'VE do" the fireman answered sTThc
volunteer fremen have been doing good
work You can't beat them. Look at the
recent fires in Philadelphia with great loss
in property and loss of iae. We haven
had that here. There isn't q city of
this size, in the country, that gets
good fire protection as cheaplv
as we do. There's reason. Volunteer
firemen are continually on their metle,
vying with each other TO put out 6res.
This results in excellent service. We have
been doing our duty, and shall continue
to do it as volunteers until the taxpayers
say by their votes that they want paid