Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-09-28
THE T ],

Plainfield has a paid fire depart
ment. A few days ago it was an
nounced with a great deal OF salts
faction in that city that some of their
6remen were going to New York to
receive training with the New York
dremen. This was to teach the Plain
field iremen to be more efficient In
handling flames at home.
Perth Amboy has one Of the best
volunteer fire departments In the
country. This must be generally adj
mitted. But volunteer fremen are.
ut best, only amateurs when com-
pared with the professional fremen
Of cities like Newark and New York.
Naturally, 1t Is not to be expected
that a man who makes his living fol-
lowing some trade or profession and
who fights fires only as q side issue.
will be as proficient as q man who
has fighting fire as his vocation and
makes 1t his life work.
The question that is uppermost in
the minds Of a great many, especial
ly those who have much capital in
vested here, is whether or not this
city has got beyond the volunteer
firemen stage. We naturally think
OF volunteer iremen in connection
with country towns and small cities.
Few places there are with population
Of over 10000 where the volunteer
system still exists.
At this time, however, 1t is a ques-
ton whether Perth Amboy wants to
go into the matter of q paid depart
ment seriously. That such a thing
has got to come all must admit. But
with taxes already extremely heavy
there will be hesitency at this time in
advocating increasing the burden by
adding a paid fire department. Until
such time as the city feels able to
handle a paid department. however,
more confidence might be given to
those having large investments here
and to the people generally. il the
head of the fire department vas a
professional fireman. In other words,
have a paid chief and possibly an as
sistant or two permanently on the
pay roll of the city, the same as we
have a paid chief of the police de-
partment. This person would be an
expert fireman. skilled in fighting
Ere, a man who could become famil-
lar with the various hazards that
exist in this manufacturing city
where there are so many different
conditions to contend with and who
would know in a moment how to d.
rect his men to accomplisR the best
results according to where the fire
was located.
The present system of leaving 1t to
the fremen themselves to choose
their W chief is bad. A man is
chosen more on account of his pop
ularity than for his fre-fghting abil-
ity. The fire department has be-
come a great social organization. It
may be Objectionable to the firemen
to surrender their privilege Of select
ing their own chief. but the city has
become so large and the capital In
vested so great, that It Is time for the
city itself to have more of a voice in
the selection Of a head OF this i'm
portant department.
1t would be just as advantageous
for Perth Amboy to have fremen
who are trained IN the New York
IRE department school as it is for
Plainfeld to have men OF such train
ing. Plainfield is a residential city
whereas Perth Amboy is a manufac-
turing center. There they have main
ly dwellings to consider. Here we
have all kinds OF hazards from COM
binations of chemicals to tar, rubber
and oils and by-products. II there
ever was a place where unusual
knowledge, skill and training is re-
quired in handling fires 1t is here In
Perth Amboy.
Without in the least detracting
from the glories of the local volun-
teer department and with due ac-
knowIedgement of the good work the
volunteers have done In the past, in
the face of a fire loss of from three
to five million dollars such as the city
has just experienced. the time has
come to give the fire department
more consideration than it has had
a tne past.
FOREIGN POLICY.
This is not a proper time for far
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