CITY OF BOSTON. March 12, 1857. The sub-committee of the Committee on Ordinances to whom was referred the order of the Common Council of December 11, 1856, "that the Committee on Ordinances be instructed to consider the expediency of repealing so much of the Ordinances of the City, as requires an annual parade of the Fire Department," beg leave to submit the following minority REPORT. That the annual parade as ordered by the Ordinance relating to the Fire Department, in the last clause of section 25, is, in the opinion of your Committee, useful and proper, and conducive of much good, inasmuch as it affords the members of the City Council an opportunity of seeing and judging of the capacity of the officers and members of the department, as well as of the efficiency and condition of the apparatus under their charge. Furthermore, that a fair trial of the experiment of having an annual parade has not been had, as the department have not paraded but once, and then on Sept. 17, 1856, at the inauguration of the Franklin Statue, when the time was so much taken up by the ceremonies of that day, that a fair opportunity was not afforded for the several companies to make such a trial of their engines as would enable the City Council to judge of the working of that portion of the ordinance, the repeal of which is now under consideration. So far as your Committee have been able to learn, the officers and members of the department are desirous of having a parade the coming season, and the undersigned are of the opinion that such a parade will be a benefit to the public, inasmuch as it will have a tendency to stop all other parades and applications by the different companies to leave the city on excursions, and that by bringing the officers and members of the department together for public inspection and review, will stimulate them to have that pride to excel, upon which the efficiency of the department so much depends. The Fire Department being, in the opinion of the minority of your Committee, one of the most important departments under the control of the City government, and one which the citizens naturally expect will be kept in the most perfect state of discipline and efficiency as a means of protection to their lives and property, and for the reasons set forth, the undersigned would recommend to the City Council that it is inexpedient to repeal any part of the ordinance referred to in the order under consideration. JOSIAH B. RICHARDSON, Minority of Committee. CITY OF BOSTON. In Common Council, Thursday, March 19, 1857. The Committee on Ordinances, to whom was referred an order to consider the expediency of amending the Ordinance concerning the Public Lands, printed as City Document No. 65, of the year 1856, have considered the same, and report the accompanying ordinance. For the Committee, BENJAMIN POND. |