Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-07
FIREMEN TO ORGANIZE
PENSION FUND FOR
NEW DEPARTMENT
Continued from page l

<~OuNtiioSu itOin D0k9 IL
may advise them az to the legal phases
OF such an undertaking. All the menu
bers OF the department who want 10
participate In the benefits OF n PEN
sion fund Will be asked to contribute
toward It each month specified
amount from their salaries, the same
rs the police do toward their pension
fund Later the Legislature probably
Will be asked to enact law under
which the city may appropriate an an
nual sum toward the general fund. In
tho police department the city allows
the police $1,000 year for their PEN
sion fund under an act OF tho Legisle-
ture.
The flremcn estimate that with
their own contributions, nm approprla-
tion from the city each year and any
sums that. may be donated to the de-
partment fund OF sufficient size to
meet all their needs could quickly be
accumulated. In the past the volun-
teer companies frequently received
donations from citizens who abpre-
ciated services rendered at fires In
their homes and such donations under
the new department Will naturally &c
to the pension fund as In the police
department where no officer ls pes
mitted to accept "a reward for himself
one OF the chief difficulties confront
| ing the firemen will be the age limit
to be fixed and the term a man will
| have TO serve before he will become
eligible TO retirement on pension,
or necessity many men In the depart
ment are OF more than mature years
now and the problem will be TO make
trrovision for their retirement. How
lover this will all have to be worked
out among the flremen themselves NJ
the undertaking is entirely within
their own jurisdiction.
The directors OF the Department OF
Public Safety will have conference
this evening with the members OF the
finance and public safety committees
of City Council relative 20 affairs ir
the fire department. The directors
will advise the Councilmen on what
has been done relative to tho remodel
ing of the various FIRE houses. Th'
plans for the alterations TO the engin,
house of Company No. 1. the oil,
Friendship property. have been com
rleted and the bids received from q
contractors and these will be laid be
fore the Counoilmen this evening
= Later the safety directors will aware
the contract for the work.
The safetys directors and the Coun
. cilmen may also consider ways an
means of providing the money Wit
which TO pay for the changes to- b
made ut the fire houses. The entir
undertaking. IL is estimated, will c1s
at least 100000. possibly si50,0o0 be
fore all OF the buildings are in In
, shape the city wants them to be j
nut there is no fund at present fror
which this money can be withdraw
lt may he necessary TO secure loan
from the banks to meet the resultin
bills as they fall due and then repa
these loans with the proceeding 9
bond issues TO b. made later.
Regarding tho threatened iniunc
u ton proceedings against the safet
Z directors In their work In connectio
: with the fire department, Rohel
Adair, whose name has been frs
uuently mentioned as the attorne
. who would represent those who COZ
: templated the court action. stated tn
morning that he II as yet undecide
:, whether he will be associated wit
any such proceedings. lie said
would not know for few da,
whether he is TO handle any such cas-
He said he was doubtful because
the element OF time that would be r.
n quired 10 he given such suit
IL were brought into court.