Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-29
SAFETY BOARD TO
CONSIDER STATUS
THIS AFTERNOON
Continued from page /.

officials and throughout they followed
what they believed To hssve been the
best course under the circumstances.
Ii was stated that tbs directors had
planned eventually to compile a report
for submission to City Council. show
ing all that they had dome with regard
10 the establishment OF the paia fire
department and also giving a state
ment of every cent that had been ex-
pended In this work and what II had
been spent for. In fact. this official
said. they were at work on this state
ment for the past several days and
hoped To have Ii ready by September
/. when the new paid fire department
was to become operative.
The directors have been much dis
turbed by the action against then, and
IL Is known they feel very much dis4
oouraged. In View Of the amount of
work. time and attention they have
given the effort To create the new de-
partment. 1t was rumortd this morn
ing that some OF the directors con-
templated resigning from the depart
ment. but when this matter was
brought to the attention of one of
them. he stated that he personally had
no such thought and he did not know
either of the others entertained such
an idea.
The question of what becomes OF
the work the directors have accom-
plished to date seems to be very much
up In the sir, None of the directors
themselves are ei,ar az TO their status
under the COURTS decision and they
apparently are much In doubt as to
the exact status of their past actions,
now that the injunction has been
issued against them. The courts de-
cision, however. does not attack the
constitutionaiity of the law creating
the department and they therefore
remain as Directors of the Department
of Public Safety and do not revert TO
their old status of Police Commission
ers.s> The court states. that there is no
possible insuperabie obstacle against
their establishing a paid fire depart
ment and IL H. assumed from this that
when the present tanele is straight
ened out the directors may then pro-
ceed with their work as hcretofor and.
make the paid fire department an es-
tablished fact.
City Councils Position.
With the City Council it is very
different, for. under the provisions Of
the city charter that Body has un-
limited powers and authority. When
the members meet this evening with
the iiremen they will offer each com
pany n Temporary contract. This will
be Tor their continuing in fire ser
vice until such time as the present
situation has been cleared up. In the
event the companies accept Council
viii agree 20 pay them semi-monthly
Tor their service, payment to be in &C.
cordsnce with the existing contracts.
but which expire at midnight August
al.
Council has already received from
several Of the companies written as
surance that they will stand by the
city and will be willing to enter into
any short term contract the city sees
ft to draw up. other companies are
known to have instructed their reb-
resentatives before Council to enter
into similar agreements. Council has
an opinion form former t,licitor HuS-
lev that the city cannot enter into q
term contract with any OF the fire
companies for less than one year. but
Council today got an opinion from Mr.
Satterthwaite that they can make q
temporary contract with each OF the
fire companies for shorter periods.
In the event any of the companies
refuse to enter into these temporary
contracts Council has other plans ar
ranged for the protection OF the city
from fire. Just what these plans are
the members would not divulge today,
but it Is known they are prepared
to have shipped 10 the city within As
hours enough fire apparatus TO af
ford ample service and also that they :
have arranged for places in which 90
house these engines.
The chief difficulty with the pres