The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1949-06-16
WEEKEND
VIEWPOINTS
By J. w. y.

city council by Fire Chief Herb
Malchow on fire losses for May
shows damage to buildings to.
falling only $16O. During the
first week of June, losses in the
city amounted to only about $50.
But losses outside the city am.
ounted to $4,000 and rural area
losses in other months have been
equally as far above those with
in the city limits.
The figures for rural areas
nearby compared to those within
| the city are so often so one sided
that an expansion of the fire
fighting facilities into these
other areas appears to be one
of the "musts" in future plan.
ming.
The fire chief says the big
drawback to giving better atten-
ton to fires outside the city is
the lack of somebody on duty
in those areas to watch for fires.
He says often fires at night are
not discovered until they are too
far along to extinguish and in
other cases telephones are so
far away that the alarm is not
turned in for several minutes
after the discovery is made. Here,
then, is case where. people are
losing hundreds of dollars be-
cause they want to save cents.
Could not patrolman be put
on duty in the thickly settled
Columbia avenue and "Y' area
to watch both for fires and
crime? Prevention of one such
fire as consumed the Farm" on
Columbia avenue would pay his
salary for seven years at least.
The able talk made by Mrs.
James Pearce of Pasco before
the chamber of commerce last
Thursday may have far reach
ing effect on our city govern
ment. At that meeting, all the
argument was in favor of the
city manager form, although it
is possible to have poor city
government under even that
form. Steve Selby mentioned
the fact that he had. lived in
Miami Beach and that he had
found the city manager form
there worked efficiently. Up at
Daytona Beach, also in Florida,
they had the city manager form
too but if there ever was city
which experienced more turmoil
in it's governing, we haven't
heard of it. The usual political
condition existed in that COM
munity and throughout the
county which certainly does not
exist here. And possibly that
covers the point, but it always
will be true that any govern.
ment is part the form and part
the people who hold office. Some
expert said long ago that Amer.
leans would make a success OF
any form of government. That
isn't true by long shot OF the
Americans living within the linn
its Of certain cities.
Now we appear to be getting
somewhere with this thing com.
munism. When such papers as
are published in Spokane start
talking about teaching commun.
ism in the public schools, there
is hope that we eventually will
be combating communism with
our intelligence and not with
our hates and pregudices. AS the
Spokane Chronicle says, when
the American way of life and
communism are laid side by
side, there is no question in our
minds which would be chosen.
Anyway, we should be willing
to show both up for what they
are. That means too that we
should teach Americanism with
concrete examples, the supply
of which there is no end in these
United States.
There is far too much general
izing when some people argue
| the case >of AmericaniSm. A
farmer, for instance, may not
get much from an imprisoned
plea to Remember the Founding
Fathers" but he knows what
you are talking about when you
tell him: "You have little
kingdom here on your own-your
farm, your livestock your ma
chinery, and crops, and above
all your family free to live the
lives they and you wish to live
right here on your farm" There
probably is no person in the
world who has the limitless
freedom of a reasonably pros
porous farmer. And maybe that
is reason why we should try
to keep the farmers prosperous.
A free farm is an unmortgaged
farm or one on which the mart
farm or one on which the mort
where the livestock and grain
hauled to the city brings profits
to those who produce them.
AS schools in Richland closed
later this year than Kennewick
and Pasco, announcement was
made that a safety campaign
would be started there aimed
primarily at safety for the
youngsters of the community.
What Capt. A. E. Barron of Rich
lands patrol said with reference