Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-11-20
MAYOR FAVORS
APPOINTING FULL:
Time FIRE CHIEF

IL would be nne thing for the
city to have full time fire chief
whose duty 1t would be to make a
regular inspection of the entire bust
ness section" declared Mayor Leon
o. Tebbetts in an interview yester-
day afternoon on the possibilities Of
improving general fire prevention
conditions in Waterville.
Mayor Tebbetts said that he was
greatly pleased that people were be-
ginning to show an interest in keep
ing the rubbish picked up, the base
mentS clean and in taking all neces-
sary precautions to guard against
fires
For the past two or three years,
declared the mayor. the city officials
have made an effort to have the fire
hazard reduced and by so doing the
city has been raised to Class B by
the New England Underwriters, thus
saving the citizens very substantial
sum of money. He said that he
wished it understood by the citizens
that the city officials were only
agents in the matter and that it was
really the citizens and taxpayers who
caused this favorable rating to be
brought about.
The mayor spoke about the sys-
tematiZed collection of rubbish by
tho city teams and declared that this
idea was put into use in order to re-
duce fire hazard. He stated that 1t
had had very beneficial effect as
the number of small fires in the city
had been reduced about 50 per cent
In the last two years and he attrib-
uted this almost wholly to the fact
that people are taking an increased
interest in keeping their Easements
clean and are disposing of. the ac-
emulation, of papers and filth reg
ularly. He called attention to the
fact that there are times of the year
when the fire department will not be
called out for days at a time.
Mayor Tebbetts said that in the
course of his work both as mayor
of the city and as an insurance man,
he had occasion to travel about the
city a great deal and he found that
there are citizens who abuse this
privilege Of having rubbish hauled
away by the city teams and this
privilege Is abused more by the mer-
chants on the street than in other
parts of the city.
He declared that a number of mer-
chants put out their periodical ac-
emulation of rubbish in back of
their business establishments and
they do not take proper care in put
ting the rubbish in containers or ty~
ing it in bundles. AS a result. chill
dren come along and forage in the
rubbish, hunting for whatever they
may find. as children will. The chill
dren leave the rubbish scattered
about and the wind does the rest.
Another thing mentioned by the
mayor was the habit of several store
keepers to sweep the dirt from their
floors right out of their front doors
onto Main street, instead Of bother
ing to gather it up and put it in a
proper container. All the filth and
accumulation such as cigar stubs
and general litter goes into the street
and is blown about perhaps before
the street sweeper comes along to
clean it up. IT shows utter lack of
cooperation or pride as to the city's
appearance.
The mayor declared that the in
surance rating would never be
changed as long as the citizens CO.
operate in keeping their property up
to the standards set. He stated that
it would be fine thing for the city
to have q full time fire chief whose
duty it would be to go into every
store basement, every attic, in fact
all through every building, especial
~. in the business section. and en-
force rules that would keep those
places from being fire-rraps. He
said that a part time man cannot do
it and that the money for a full time
man would be we'll expended.
The citizens should appreciate,
said that mayor, that there are only
a few cities in Maine that have the
insurance classification that we have
been granted in Waterville.
The mayor emphasized that the
city officials have only been the
agents in securing this classification,
that 1t was really the citizens who
have purchased the new fire appara-
tus and done the things necessary
for this raising of classification.