The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-02-24 00:00:00

wzimoina.
OUR POLICE FORCE.

In jostla to our police force, the remarks made by
the Mayor (Mr. Rowland Thomas) at the Council
ru-sting last week, ought not to be all owed to go
crichallenged, Me Worship hae on more than one
occasion alleged that the police force of Weymouth is
too large for the borough, and our intentiso is ti try
ant show by Governmeot atatistice and by other
means how erroneous thin euppositioe is. Perhaps to
/01:119 who are ignorant of the facts of the cos, it
might appear that a force of IS men le quite large
enough, or rather too large, to protect 15,500 inhabi-
tant., but when the party entertaining snob an
opluion is the Mayor of the borough, cones-
amenity chief magistrate nos Is inelined to think
that allogatione of this sort should not be made
unaccompanied by statistics. If his Worship had
nu
lief the (loveroment returns, which are open to
the public, he would have Mend that the force of
Weymouth in very many CAIN ill lOU than that in
other towns of • similar sine. If we take Margate
we find that the poonlation Is 15,039 with • police
forco of 21 man ; at V ilkestone there are 21 men to
smard 18,022 inhabitants; New Windeor. with •
population .1 12,273, nearly throe thousand leas than
Weymouth, hoe force precisely of the same strength,,
our town ; at Be If ri tl • p mutation is 19,522 an
the police force 26 men ; Sf eideoheral, with 8/20
Inhabitant., los 11 men ; Ilirkenhearl's population of
84,000 require. 145 men • I) arhester, with • popula-
tion of half the size of that of Weymouth. has half
the number of men engaged In the watering town;
Hereford has • force of 30 men for • population of
19.021 ; Poole, 11 men for 12,000 inhabitant'; Ring's
Lynn's population is 18,475 men and the polioe fora
nom era 27 men; and Salisbury has 16 men, with a
population of 14,092 We could give many other
Material in which the force is quite as large prorer-
tionally, and in some cases larger than it is at Wey-
mouth, many of the boroughs being inland
towns. The population of Weymouth, accord-
ing to last anew, la 15.000, bit it mist
be borne in min I in dea`ing with the question that
during the greater part of the year the population is
nearer 20.050 than 13000. Two or three times • year
we are visited by the sailors from the 8-at,,
and it is welt known that when " Jaok's ashore " he
is not always the lamb that he is on board. Then
throe are the men from the trading vessel., and the
thousands ol visitors who 6 ick into our town during
Yeomanry week, on Bank Holiday., and all through
the summer. lo addition to this, there Is a very impor-
tant fact, and one whloh onght not to be lost sight of In
these days of dynamite °linage., and that hi the close
proximity of Weymouth with Francs, and, although
hie worship might be ignorant of the feet, all boats
and trsine have, by an order from the Home Office.
to he watched. To chow bow •Irliant our polio' are
it reirri,t not be out if plea to relate here a conversa-
tion which took place recently on the railway between
Weymouth and YeaU. Alludon was made to •
soave that had been sawed in Yeovil by a rumour
that the Town Ball was to be blown up, and one of
the passengers gave his fellow-trevellere some idea of
how things are managed In Weymouth. Ile hat, he
said, just arrived from Jersey, and before he went
bettors he could so the gentlemen of blue cloth ready
to receive them. A minute hopection by the eye
was made, and on bis lieges' being searched by the
custom house officialsithere were others whim he knew
So beloeg to the police force badly engaged in rare-
folly watching the unpacking of the baggage. When
this examination was emeladed, and he found hie way
to the station, even there also were policemen wit oh-
tog his asovemests. If hie worship barged his opinion
upon the present satisfactory state of the town and
its freedom from crime, be should have compared
Weymouth now with its 18 men, and Weymouth some
dozen years ago with its 10 constables. In the dark
days gone by as many as 13 burglarise were com-
mitted In one year, but now we never hear of such a
crime belog committed, en I the obvious c inclusion to
be drawn from this is that the p lie. fora of Wey-
mouth now id equal to the requirements of the tows.
Looking at the question from another point it clew—
financially—it will be loon I that the present force
costa about £1.400 per annum, and as onedialf of
this solo le paid by Government, the amount now
which the ratepayer has is pay to sours • peaceful
night's repose le aisiot the same proportionally as it
was In the dark years of burglaries and housebreak-
ing.. It is to be hoped that hi. worship, before he
takee any action for the reduction of tho force, will
acquaint himself with all the fac's of the rose, and
not, simply from a desire to mine, the raise of the
town, run blindly into • penny wise and pound foolish
policy.

Tun Rev F. B. Sowtor, •icar of Holy Trinity, Ins
heeo 'selected sa one of toe Lenten preacher. at the
Salisbury Cathedrsl.
MILCOMBIL RUIN SCROOL—Wo are pleased to an-
nounce the success of two candidst.s from this echo,'
at the recent London University matriculation
examination, A. IL Carruthers, end A. W. lhonis
1.01 I whom were plac dln thy fi-et division.
AT En+otliqg of the Liberal Alt KtAttql et C
Re in on Tuesday evenin. h. Id tinier the preeidency
a Mr. filbert.% Mr. E I envie we acce:Yed as the
Libaral ceeite., and a &potation was synointed to
n't mil • meetiya lob. held at ll.nche•ter shoetly. an
lyncde his claims on the

Hum VISITORS. —llll4ii lio.rdon Hotel : M.
Honry Edrir,rds. M.P., Mein. and Mrs. Dickenson,
Mr. and Mr.. Webster. Mimi Miler. Major Mc
111,0 Y. RE Mr 1.. Biut.n, M. DAVI lean, sod
Mr. and Mrs.ll-1. F. Herb:lrd.
Surprise —Arrival.: Great Western (e), Blampied,
Cherbourg. general ; Aquila OD, Painter, Cherbourg.
general ; Brighton (o). Fibber, Jersey, general ;
Hibernian (e), Brown, Warkwort h. coal ;Fsnay. Ireby,
Portsmouth, Government stores. Sidings Great
Wedeln (s). Blampied, Cheeourg, general ; Aquila
(.). Painter, Cherbourg, general; Brighton (r). Fli.br r,
Jersey, general: Hibernian (r), Brow,. Warkworth,
nil ; Fran; Nicholson, Natal. general ; Annie,
Hodder, Portland, oil; Mermaid, Ilebley, Haile,
wheat.

-1-11-PO-RIANT SALL—Misers. G• Ensor and Travers
the welbknown firm of D,,mbester auctioneer., bold an
important sale at hialor Firm on Tummy, when
they disposed of the valuable herd of cattle. together
with the farm implement and furniture, of Mr.. Gill.
who La retiring from business. There was • large
attendance of sericulturle.s of the district, and
bidding. were brie( and satisfactory. The live stock
compriesd shout 80 bead of bea.te and the prices
realised ma follow. C .we from i. 17. Ito £2 13;
heifer., 213 10.. to £22 rem hid ; hammer., 113 10..
£2O; and yea Sus i:18 10e. each. The implementa
also sold at remunerative prices. Prior to the sale a
I lunch*, u was penile 1 by Mrs. Gill and WU largo!?
is'letn,lcd. We congetaulate MOIIPTA. U. Enaor and
T,avAre, the suet! 'over., upon the successful and
businesslike manner they conducted the sale whi
was satisfactory &Ilk- to vendor and purchaser.
AT the Petty Session., on Tuesday, Oliver Spencer,
we. summoned for wheeling a bartow down over
CI apelry St•ps.—P.o Saint said be saw the defendant
oommlttimg th• offence, and be asked him if he had
any right there, and defendant re; lied that he bad.—
Defendant said he did Dot know that he .eas doing
wrong or be would not have done it. H. was late,
and be took tbo shod cut.—Delondant was fined the