Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-29
SAFETY BOARD TO
CONSIDER STATUS
THIS AFTERNOON
Members Will Confer With City
Solicitor and Councilman
McManus.
COUNCIL MEETS TONIGHT

The Directors of the Department of
Public Safety will meet this after
noon and viii have conference at
that time with. City Solicitor Reuben
Satterthwaite. Jr., and James b. Nc
Manus. chairman OF the finance COM
n4ttce of city Council, 10 endeavor TO
arrive at some definite understanding
as 10 their status at this time under
the decision of Chancellor Wolcott,
who on Saturday ordered that tenn
porary injunction issue against them
in their work of establishing a paid
fire department. The decision of the
court is not clearly understood by the
city officials insofar as it affects their
present standing.
city Council will meet tonight i'm
adjourned session and will have a con-
ference with the presidents of the
volunteer fire companies and will offer
them temporary contracts under
which they will continue in service
until such time as the present situa-
ton with reference to the Chancery
Court proceedings has been cleared
up. Council members. as well as Mr..
Saiterthwaife, are very clear in their
minds as to what their authority in
the premises really is, for under the
emergency clause of the city charter
Council is empowered to do almost
anything the members deem neces-
-Hry TO meet an emergency.
Runners May Omit
The situation relative to the COM
eiicatacns which have developed in con-
nection with the fire department
were further entangled early this af-
ternoon by the announcement that
many Of the runners of the voluteer
fre companies would quit after next
Wednesday night. 1t was said these
young men are tired Of the volunteer
system and that they do not intend
- continue in the service any longer.
Tho runners are the men who for sew
erai years have done most OF the work
at the fires, being attached unoffic-
lallS 10 tho various cemrE MES, but not
being nrcmbers. IL was said very few
active raemberS of some of the COM
panies have responded TO alarms for
some years. most of the work being
done by the runners. who are not
members. should they withdraw it
will leave the care OF the department
Np 10 the active members and il is
now questioned IL there would be
enough Of them physically able TO
carry on the service.
so far as the safety directors are
concerned. however, there are many
questions arising from the courts de-
rision that have 10 be settled. In the
fnst place. IL is understood. the safety
directors viii this afternoon discharge
ali the persons they have employed to
date in connection with the new fire
d. department. This viii have TO be
done. because the department has no
money with which TO continue TO pay
salaries. for under the courts de-
rision they are enjoine& from spend
this time. The department has re-
rcived it's quarterly appropriation
amounting 10 s6S,056.25 from City
Council FOR purposes Of maintaining
the department, but it cannot now
spend any of this money for any
purposes. Some of it has already been
eS pended for salaries and other pur-
poses. but IT. is the opinion of Of
hclals today that these expenditures
have been made and cannot now be
recalled.
Situation is Grave.
There is a grave situation arising
from the contracts the safety direc-
tors have already made with various
concerns for engines. trucks and other
equipment and the meeting this after |
ever. that the city cannot be held
in this respect. 1t is understood, how
noon may develop something definite |
liable for any of these contracts aad |
that the persons or concerns involved
~ mot bring action in court TO re-
ecVer. II. however, il should be shown
that the safety directors did wiifully |
violate the law in making these con- |
tracts, then, IL is said, they could be |
Aeid personally liable under them. !
yust how far this phase of the case
w1ll be developed remains to be de- |
lermined at the conference this after
noon.
When spoken 10 this morning one
member OF the board declared their
acts from the beginning TO the end
nave all been in accord with the opin-
.ons and advice of the citys legal