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Show SEEMS POOR ECONOMY f ROUNDABOUT WAY OF KEEPING FIRE HOUSES CLEAN. Story Told by Writer In The Public, Whether the Real Thing or Not, May Possibly Illustrate a Sad Truth. About two months ago I happened to sit down besldo a pleasant-faced old fellow in tho smoking car of a train pulling out of Philadelphia. I wanted to smoke, and on discovering that 1 had no matches, I turned to my seat-mnto seat-mnto nnd asked if ho could spare mo ono "Certainly," said ho, "that is ono thing I can get all I want for nothing." noth-ing." Seeing that ho was inclined to talk, I humored him by nsklng: "How's that?" "Why, you see," ho replied, "I work for tho city, In tho flro department, and wo can get all wo want of anything any-thing llko thnt. Just turn In n requisition requi-sition for them nnd nlong thoy como. Hut thcro is ono thing wo can't get nil wo want of, though." "What's that?" "Brooms. Wo can't get a broom. Wo can requisition as much ns wo like, but wo can't secure a slnglo broom." "How's that?" "Don't know, but wo can't get one." "How do you keep tho placo clean, then 7 I always thought thoy woro very particular In tho flro department to have everything spick nnd span." "That's It," said ho, nudging me In tho ribs, "that's Itl How do we keep It clean? Must bo clean for Inspection. Inspec-tion. Know what wo do? I'll tell you! Wo uso blankets. Yes, wo tako blankets, blank-ets, tear 'em up Into strips and mnko mops out of 'em and keop tho place as nent ns you please! You bco wo can get nil the blankets wo want, but wo can't got a broom. So wo take turns requisitioning blankets." "Hut tho blankets must cost a lot moro than brooms would." "Sure. Dlnnkots must stand the city at least n dollar and a. quarter each, whllo tho best brooms bought in largo quantities would not cost over twenty-five cents npicco. And ono broom would InBt longer than half a dozen blankets. Rut wo can't help It. Must keep tho flro houso clean for Inspec tion or would nil get fired. No matter mat-ter how often wo requisition brooms thcro Isn't one forthcoming, whllo wo can get all tho blankets wo wont, and no questions asked." "Seems funny. How Is It, do you supposo?" "Only reason I can glvo la that tho new administration Is short of funds. Possibly somebody in a former administration admin-istration got some graft for laying in a largo stock of blankets and got no brooms. Dut It costs somebody something some-thing In tho long run. Fierce, Isn't It?" W. P., Jr., in Tho Public. |