Evening journal., 1921-08-25
RAPS DIRECTORS
ON fire STAND
Extravagant and Secretive,
Says Delaware Com
pany's Head
RAISES ISSUE OVER
PURCHASE OF TRUCK

That the Directors OF Public Safe
ty are not well-informed on fire
matters. extravagant in their ex-
penditures. inefficient in their meth
DDS. and unnecessarily secretive. are
charges made by George II. Taylor.
president OF the Delaware Company.
Mr.. Taylor took occasion to make
the charges in taking exception to
statements contained in the direc-
tors answer to the injunction ap-
plication OF the Delaware Fire Com
pany before Chancellor Wolcott.
IL could have taken two other
men from the present fire depart
ment TO assist me, and organized
the paid department at a cost of
100000 less than the Directors OF
Public Safety are spending" Mr..
Taylor said. Il don't claim to be a
smarter man than Samuel X Smith.
William B. Megear. or l. Pusey Wick
ersham (the directors), but / do
claim that 1 know a whole lot more
than they do about fire department
matters. They arc not only inef-
hcient, they are utterly ignorant
about what they are trying to do.
| would not have hired any expen-
sive experts from New York. I would
not have paid $3.50 for the Friend
ship fire house, and wouldn't have
made a number of other high ex-
penditures. had been organizing
he department"
Attacking the mantle OF secrecy
with which the directors have
cloaked their operations in estab-
fishing the paid fire department, Mr.
Taylor said that, now that the legal
proceedings have caused the direc-
tors to announce the prices they
paid, they should be called upon TO
make public the valuations placed
On the properties by an appraiser
hired by them for the purpose. He
said II would be shown in number
IF cases that the purchase prices ex-
,eeded the appraisals.
IF the affidavit Of the directors,
as published in last evenings papers.
Is correct" Mr.. Taylor continued.
then they are making affidavit TO
what Is absolutely untrue"
He said the affidavit contains sew
rral erroneous statements. but con-
fined his attack 70 the paragraph
- which says. in part:
said department did award a
contract for the purchase Of two
trucks for the sum Of S25,000. said
contract being awarded TO the low
est bidder. and the price paid fci
said trucks was about $1,000 more
than said department could have
purchased a similar truck from Del
p rware Fire Company in this city
and said truck had been used foi
about eight years.
That Is untrue and Il a very un
Just statement" Mr.. Taylor said, re
ferring 10 the assertion that S25, 800
the price paid for two trucks. IVA
about $1,000 more" than the cost o
the Delaware company's truck would
have heen. I'VE offered our trucl
and frehouse. with its contents. foi
sac. 900. We distinguished between
the items. asking $4,000 for tn
truck. and $4,000 for the building
and other equipment. We never re
ceived any offer at all for the house
but were offered $4,000 for the truck
This offer was contained In a let
ter dated August 3. We held a meet
ing and decided to refuse the offer
in n letter dated August we re
pied. saying we didn't deem tn
amount offered sufficient Afte
that time the directors made NJ
effort whatever to agree upon a pric
f.rFrsaH nrtl
he $4,000 we asked. We would hav
been willing to accept a price unde
$4,000. IL 1t was reasonable. but no
$4,000
THE ahldavit also states that on
truck is eight years old. That, als1
is untrue. II was first placed q
service in October, 1914. less tina
seven years ago. II originally cos
$4,000 and since then has been i'm
proved considerably.
Il feel that II is no more tina
just that the people should kno'
the actual facts, and not be mislee
as they have been. do not wis
to accuse the directors Of swearin
to falsehoods. but. II the affidav
printed In the evening papers
correct, then they come very clos
to doing So"
Among the features objected {
by Mr.. Taylor are the expenditure
connected with the hiring Of a
expert TO aid in organizing the Dc
partment and the erection Of
training tower. This latter was ar
necessary, he said. as sufficient
good results could have been oh
tanned by sending a few men to n
Philadelphia training school an
have them instruct the others.