Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-12-14
A PARADOX.

When taxes r due. the thoughts of the average citizen
turn for a few moments to the officers elected by him ana ne
wonders if this new o~fficeholder viii prove as careless of the peo-
pies money as his predecessors have been and usually at the enc
of two years he finds that there has been little change
The reason for this appears to be that each new incumbent Is
hammered bv the acts of his predecessors, by the traditions of the
office, by the demands of the state laws and by the program OF
the county commissioners. 0ftentmes If he succeeds IN keeping
his expense within the limits set by the former officehoider ne is
to be congratulated and praised.
So often do the claims for patronage spoil his good intentions,
8 often does the desire to make a good fellow of himself and to
entrench himself in the good graces of his constituents get hold
of him that he forgets his good intentions and scatters the peo-
Piles dollars with lavish hands.
But when a group of men working without pay and occupying
positions which require at times strenuous and hazardous work,
endeavor to finance their department without the aid of additional
taxes and by means of various and diverting pastImes coax dol
lars enough from the public in unguarded moments to relieve the
public of all expense for their department, their names should be
emblazoned in letters of gold where every citizen could see, and
stopping, take off his hat to the perpetrators of this unheard OF
Right here in this city of Belt has this miracle taken place,
and our fire department is it.
We are taxed two mills for fire protection purposes but the
sum realized does not even pay the water rental for the fire ny,
drants leaving nothing for the purchase of new equipment. AND
yet in a garage down town stands q brand-new chemical car carryT
and room for two hundred feet OF fire hose THIS car is painted
red, has the insignia of the Belt Fire Department thereon and is
without the destruction of the entire interior with water. And it
is paid for. How? Possibly you have attended the annual fire
mems ball Probably you have lent the luster of your presence to
the annual firemen's carnival on the last days of the year.
Some of us have wondered what became of all the wealth
which was left behind to fill the Golfers of the firemen's treasury.
When you see the chemical wagon you are permitted to imagine
that your dollars paid for the spark plugs, the red paint or the
nickel trimmings just q s you WISH.
Surely we have a Fire Department to be proud of. The only
trouble with them is that they are too efficient. Not an old shack
can catch Attire without their extinguishing the fire before the in
surance companies have begun to pay back some OF the revenue
they have been drawing from us for years. No city in the state
has as good a fire record. No city in the state is such a bonanza
for the fire insurance companies.
For this the Times takes off its hat to the local department
Too often we hear remarks that volunteer fremen are jury-shirk-
ers, that they belong just to escape the poll tax, but this is a good
time to say that a body of men so public spirited as they should
be forever immune from such insinuations and should be held in
high honor by their fellow townsmen.
They have touched us in our most sensitive point, our pocket
book, and our purses are no lighter for that touch.
In the men who have had the vision of better fire protection
and have never let this dream fade out but have carried it con-
stantly in mind unit. it's fulfllment we have that better type of
citizenship which always gives its services and expects nothing,
not even appreciation. Belt is fortunate in having two such or
CARNATIONS, the Firemen and the Legion.
The fremen sre putting on another carnival the 29th and
30th of this month. Because of our confidence in their judgment
and because of our appreciation of the good work they have al
ready done we should make this carnival the biggest, the best and
the most successful of all.