Who Should Pay for the Fireboat?

A proposition to pay $1,000 to McCoy for a fireboat plant was reconsidered at the city council meeting last night. Why should the whole proposition be put up to home owners? The city has no money to build a fireboat. The bulk of the property asking for fireboat protection never pays a dollar to the city either. By legislative legerdemain, Tacoma loses thousands a year that should be paid by the Northern Pacific in taxes on its waterfront property. If the city could get this tax money, it would be able to build a whole fleet of fireboats. But as the city does not get the money, it hardly looks fair to ask the home owners on the prairie to pay for protecting this private property that does not pay a dollar of local taxes. Manager H. C. Nutt told the council last night the N. P. would give a fire tug site on the waterfront and help finance the boat besides. Milwaukee will also probably help, and the Great Northern and Union Pacific might help. The big mills would probably contribute, and the waterfront should build its own boat.