The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-06-10
REDUCE LIMITS OF
The FIRE DISTRICT
COUNCIL AMENDS ORDINANCE
NO. AZ, LEAVES 9 HALF
BLOCKS OUTSIDE
LETTER FROM BOARD
Complete Minutes of Meeting of the
City Council Held Last Mon
day Night

day Night
At an adjourned regular meeting
of the city council, held Monday
evening, the principal action taken
was the much discussed changing of
the fire district limits by the amend
ing of the ordinance prescribing the
district within which construction
must be of non-combustible mater
ial, so as to put nine half blocks
outside the district-the north halves
of blocks 4, 5, 6, and g; south
halves of u, 13, IA and Is. The
matter had been brought up at pre-
vious meeting and the city engineer
had been instructed to get the opin-
ion of the Board of Fire Under
writer's on the matter. The reply
from the secretary of the board is
printed below together with the min
utes of the meeting as furnished by
the city clerk.
Upon roll call the following mem
bers were found to be present:
Mayor Smith, presiding.
Aldermen: Kleve, GIFTS, Kragrud,
Everett Ferguson and Lynn.
Clerk, Samuel Dowell.
Absent: None.
In the matter of the petition of
The Farmers Lumber Co., o. c.
Heinze and A. K. Gulhaug, praying
the council to amend and alter the
boundaries of the Fire District in
the City of Wolf Point so as to ex-
,lude the north half of block 6, of
.he original townsite, from said fire
district, the Mayor called for a re-
port from the Clerk as to the cor
respondence had with the Board of
Fire Underwriters Of the Pacific re-
garding said boundary change,
the Clerk read as follows:
Advise Safety
Butte, Mont, June /, 1920
samuel Dowell, City Engineer,
Wolf Point, Mont.
)ear Sir:
Acknowledgement is made Of your
avor of the 9th respecting the pro-
osition of reducing the area Of the
re district or fire limits in your
own so as to exclude therefrom GER
ain sections of the town which are
ow within the fire limits.
It has long been fixed opinion of
ne writer that most of our newer
nd growing towns are lax in their
as to building construc-
on, for many of them do not adopt
nd enforce ordinances regarding
re limits until a number of blocks
re built up largely Of frame con-
ruction.
There is no other single factor
hich has so much to do with keep
g down fire losses and fire insur-
nee rates as good building construc-
on and we feel that by curtailing
our fire limits your city would be
aving the way for the erection of
anne buildings that would for years
and as a menace to your town, for
is all too well known to the writer
at many towns have been burned
'wn as a result of fire starting
outlying districts.
Good Report
When our surveyor was last in
ur town he reported that your city
d a very good building ordinance
d fire limits which covered a prop
area of the town, and I feel that
cutting out the districts as pro-
sed your town would be introduc-
: too small fire zone, which
uld well be surrounded by frame
Instruction as your town grows, as
no doubt will.
| am not in position to say that
: reduction of your fire zone will
We any immediate tendency toward
reasing the rates in your town,
it requires no great philosophic
light to see far enough ahead that
,hout some building restrictions
se outlying sections will eventual
be built up of inferior construc-
n in such way that they will stand
only as a menace to their own
tricts, but will also introduce a
area extending to the
t of the town within the fire linn
Ioing further into the matter I
say there are now a considerable
nber of the larger towns in this
te that have within their present
limits groups of distinctly haz-