The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About07/01/1935 Board of Public Safety MinutesMEETING July 19 1935 Regular meeting -of the Board of Public Safety was held at 8 :30 A.. M. Monday, July 11 1935. All members were present. Minutes of the regular meeting of June 24th were read and approved., Requisitions bearing numbers 08530 to 08537, inclusive, were approved. Claims in the amount of 96.11 from the following suppliers were approved and ordered paid: Frank S. Andrews $11.75 C. E. Lee & Co. $3.50 Peterson Battery & Ign. Co. 1.65 C. E. Knapp Feed & Seed Store 8.25 Goodyear Service 075 Hibberd Printing Co. 16.50 F Office Engineers .25 Electric Const. Co. 27.00 Hibberd Printing Co. 18.75 Radio Distributing Co. 1.26 Smith -Alsop S. B. Paint.Co. 1.45 Frank S. Andrews 1.50 Geo. layman & Co. 3.50 Mr. Hunter stated that he had looked up the question of supplying the Weights and Measures Department with reported needed materials, but had been unable to confer with the Attorney for Mr. Burns, on account of illness, but that he would recommend the material be supplied if Mr. Burns would furnish a waiver to the effect that such action on the part of the Board would not affect the suit now pending in any way. The Secretary was instructed to so inform Mr. Burns. FIRE DEPARTMENT - Chief Freeh present: A letter from the American LaFrance & Foamite Industries, dated June 26th, was read, in which they advised that they were shipping from their factory -at `Elmira, New York a 1000 gallon Pumping Engine to Springfield, Illinois and. ". required that the Board inspect this machine before purchase of Pumper.is made for South Bend. The letter was ordered placed on file. A letter was read from the Mayor with reference to the police boat, now being operated by the Fire Department, calling attention to duplication of 4' effort and suggesting that-the boat be turned back to the Police Department. It was regularly moved, seconded and carried that the police boat be trans - ferred to the Police Department as of July 15th, and the Fire Chief was instructed to transfer such equipment.as is necessary for the operation of = the boat over to the Police Department. In view of the fact that the Engineering Representatives of the various concerns quoting,on Pumping Engine for the City would be hereon Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 o'clock to explain the merits of their engine to a Committee of- Engineers selected by the Mayor, namely Mr. William James of the Studebaker Corporation and Mr. V. D. Kleisrath of the Bendix Corporation, the Chief was Instructed to be present at this conference at the hour mentioned. Mr. Taylor of the'Bendix Corporation was also pre=sent at this conference. ECTRICAL DEPARTMENT - Mr. Qualls present: Mr. Qualls, in a communication to the Board dated July lst,.outlined in detai]. a comparison of the personnel of the Electric Department" and 'that of the Police and Fire Departments, pointing out the contention that, due to fi circumstances in the past, the Electrical Department had not been given the -- .consideration from the standpoint of,s-alary as compared with their duties that other departments have enjoyed. He g'ave`ta comparative list of salaries of .the Police, Fire and Electrical Departments as of former years and as of today, ., making the request that careful consideration of the Electrical Department be given in.the'-- e- stablishment of appropriations for salaries in 1936. The matter ,. , .was referred to Mr. Woodward, Controller. Matter of traffic signals at the intersection of Lincoln Way West and . ,William Streets was brought before the Board and it was shown that the signal at'the southeast corner of this intersection is not readily seen when traffic approaches from the west. Mr. Qualls agreed and suggested that the pole . which had previously been the support of an overhead light could now be placed near the curb, rendering,it more observeable from a greater distance. �. -'To move this, it would be necessary to take out a block of cement sidewalk and the Board agreed that this could be replaced readily by the Street Depart - ::-ment. Mr. Qualls was instructed to bring in his recommendations at the next _ meeting to overcome this hazard. The Secretary referred to the Board a claim made by the R.C.A. Manufac= taring Company for supplies purchased in 1934, claim for which was presented late in January, and stated that there appeared to be some difficulty in checking the invoice as to its correctness and that it had just been found to be correct. The Board instructed the Secretary to pass this claim an to the Controller for immediate payment. Several representatives of the various Labor Unions in South Bend appeared before the Board and read letters from Harry B. Martin, Secretary of the Elmira Trades and Labor Assembly of Elmira, New York and H. W. Brown, General Vice President of the International Association of Machinists of Washington, D. C., stating their position regarding the purchase of Fire Dep3.rtment Pumper for which the City is now in the market, bringing out the fact that they recommend the purchase be made from a concern that is one hundred .per ent Union Labor and stating that the American LaFrance & Foamito Industries s such a eoneern. These representatives were informed that the matter of i vestigation of Pumper was now in the hands of a Committee of Engineers, s lected by the Mayor, who would investigate the merits of the various offers and that the Board's first duty was to purchase this Pumper from a concern who could furnish the highest standard of efficiency such as the City required. POLICE DEPARTMENT- Chief Lane present: The Secretary presented to the Board a communication from Officer Rex Ris er of his resignation as a member of the South Bend Police Department, to bee me effective July 1, 1935. The Board accepted his resignation. Due to the resignation of Officer Risher, the Board on conferring with Chief Lane filled this vacancy by the appointment of Albert Pope, colored, to police duty beginning July lst, subject to his being passed upon by physical examination by the Police Surgeon and subject to assignment as to duties by the Chief of Police - his salary to be that of probation officer the first six mon hs. Chief Lane introduced Mr. Ware, instructor of First -Aid, and suggested that it would be a splendid inovation to have Police Officers instructed in classes for First -Aid. The Board adopted the plan and authorized the Chief to institute classes of twenty five to thirty Officers at a time to take these instructions from Mr. Ware once a week for fifteen weeks - the allotted expense bei g the purchase of sufficient instruction books to equip the classes, being app oximately thirty books at a charge of sixty cents per book. These classes t_o Degin July 8th and, .after the first is completed, a new set of Officers is _. to take the instruction. The Secretary reported that he had had a conference with Mr. E. J. Cox and was informed that from July 1st no W.P.A. help could be obtained for the paint- ing of curbs and streets because of the fact that the work involved in any project must be of such a character and constructed in such places and by such methods and devices as will meet the legal requirements concerning the expend- iture of public funds and that the expense of maintenance under which this work wou d be classified does not come within these legal requirements. The Chief rep rted that he had had a later conference with Tier. Cox and that he had been pro ised at least partial relief for a matter of a few weeks. A communication was received from Officer Edward Moritz, requesting leave' of absence from the Police Force for the month of July. On conferring with the Chief, this request was granted. The letter from the Mayor suggesting transfer of Police Boat from the Fire Department to the Police Department was taken up with the Chief and he was instructed to take this over as of July 15th. The matter referred to in the Mayor's letter regarding the Police School, as a result of the attendance at convention in Indianapolis by the three Officers was taken up with the Chief and he reported that these schools of instruction are now in progress at each Roll Call of the Officers. Official bond of Harold A. Whitmer in the United States Fidelity and Gua anty Company was approved by the Board. The meeting adjourned at 11:00 A. M. Chairman T: Clerk . W7` - _ 1. t F ` ,2K