Evening star., 1933-06-22
HOPE IS REVIVED
F|REMEN'S PARADE
WILL Be HELD HERE
Newly Organized National As
sociation Considers Cam
paign for Finances.
TRADE BOARD WILL ACT
ON SPONSORSHIP IN JULY
Odell Smith Believes There Is Lit
tie Likelihood Procession
Will Be Staged.

With the Washington Board of Trade
holding up its decision with respect to
sponsoring the annual flremen's parade
next Labor day, new hope was held
out for the staging of this event today
with the announcement that the newly
formed National Firemen's Association
is considering launching campaign to
finance the pageant.
The Board of Trade. which came to
the rescue of the parade last year and
the year before with subscriptions of
between $4,000 and $4,000, denied to-
day it had decided not to sponsor the
event. 1t has simply taken no action
one way or the other thus far this year
In the meantime, Noble F. RuShe,
chief of the Hyattsville Fire Depart
ment and vice president of the National
Firemen's Association. declared officers
and members of the association will
meet tonight at the home of Sergt. A.
j. Bargagni president of the group, to
discuss plans for sponsoring the parade.
Rushe Is Confident.
While funds to finance the affair
were admittedly lacking, Rushe ex-
pressed confidence the firemen could
raise the necessary money from the
merchants of Washington, whom he
claims are the chief benef1ciaries of the
annual event. If the merchants fail
to contribute he said, the firemen
themselves would be asked to chip in"
as the parade is the. only outing the
flremen have during the year.
The National Firemen's Association
was organized last year and it's mem
pership includes both paid and volun-
teer firemen
Robert J. Cottrell, executive secretary
of the Board of Trade, said today the
organizations Executive Commttee is
scheduled to act on the sponsoring of
the event at its next regular meeting
the first week in July. The matter had
been delayed, he said due to the boards
activity in connection with the cam
paign to raise funds for the Greater
National Capital Committee of the
board, under way this month.
Steps Not Yet Taken.
Sergt. Bargagni of the Fire Depart
ment Training School, who has handled
the departments participation in the
event each year since 1928, admitted
today he had taken no steps looking to-
ward the preparation for the parade
thus far, although in previous years he.
had sent out invitations and prepared
publicity as early as January
Odell Smith, chairman Of the Public
Order Committee of the trade body
who has directed the Board of Trades
part in the parade, said he believed
there is little likelihood of the colorful
procession of flremen being held this
year.
Chief George s. Watson of the Fire
Department, consulted at his home,
where he Is convalescing from an ILL
ness, said positively that unless money
for the affair was donated by the
Board Of Trade or some other organi-
zation, Washington would not have its
Labor day parade this year.
Backing Of Former Days.
Prior to the Board of Trades back
ing, money for the parade was raised
among the members of the department
and prizes were donated by Washing
ton business houses. Chief Watson
said, however that this method could
not be resorted to this year, princi-
pally because the firemen cannot af-
ford to subscribe on account of salary
cuts. If the money is made available,
Chief Watson said, he favors the hold
ing of the parade.
The flremen's parade, which has
come to be regarded as fixed annual
event in the Capital, each year has
drawn thousands of visitors to Wash
ington and has been participated in by
hundreds of volunteer fire departments
all over this sections of the country.
Competition for the several prizes put
up by the Board of Trade in 1881 and
1882 and by Washington's business es-
tablishmentS in prior years always has
been keen.