The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-08-21 00:00:00

THZ RIFLI PIPS.

The Committee appointed to consoler Ciptain
spplioa! e Into bend i for sponrtionieofhe tq
for
space oodz .le
the To
1, t ruflat,
soros, reported with reluctance that they did not think
it advisable to alter the character of the present letting,
via., torniciest market.

The Maros said be last evening received a letter
from Lieut. Aldridge, for Captain Butte, thanking the
Council for their courteay, end intimating that the
corps bad DOW made up their winds to locate themselves
at the Oddifellows Hall.
The report was resaisad,
1111 PAY OP 7111 POLICI FORCIL

A good deal of excitement had been got up—we use
the term advisedly—on this subject in the town, under
the leadership eta wellkuowu ratepayer, • msn who
las twice endeavoured to get elected • Councillor, but
failed—Mr. George Curtis. On Thursday application
was made to the Mayor for the use of thc Town Hall,
to enable the small party, thus headed, to call • reiblie
meeting to protest against the announced proposal of
the Watch COMMD*OO 10 increase the pay of the pollee
force, and we understand that his worship judiciously
replied that if a requi.ition aligned by • dozen respect.
able persons were presented to Oast effect. he would
give it due consideration. But the de, pared and
nothing further was done in the matter. Yet Mr.
Curtis was not at rest. A memorial setting forth
several specious grounds upon wlsieh the proposal should
be rejected was drawn up, and the town was canvassed
for signatures, the result of which was forty-six per-
sons attached their D 403011 to the deeurnent. When we
consider the number of ratepayers in Fools, and re-
member how easy • thing it is to get signature. to • petl
tam, let the subject be whatever it may, especially OD*
touching the ratepayers pocks ts,iss this undoubtedly does,
the number endorsing the memorial must be esteemed
lamentably Sins", and tbe promoters of it evidently
thought so, for they did not think it advisable to rest
their r,se as it was the' present d. On Fi iday more.
ins the beilinan was sect through thc streets of the
town exhorting the ratepayers to attend the Council
meeting " to watch their interest.," an announcement
assuredly not complimentary to the gentlemen elected
for that very purpose. The effect of all this solicitation
was that between 10 and 40 persons assembled at the
Town nen, shortly alter the Council meeting began,
thoughisser of them, without doubt, were attracted not
so much by sympathy asouriosity. Bat the few made the
demonstration to overawe th 3 Council, and unfortunately
for the po'imimen, it must be said they succeeded.
Sioce the meeting we have learnt that some of even
the small number of signatures attached to the memo-
tiel were obtained by misrepresentation. One who
signed it tells us that when appealed to for that purpose
he was shown • 1.04 of the offices held by Supenntendent
G'fford with figures pueporting to be the amount of pay
he received on their amount, the total of which was
£147! ! ! and it was that representation which indatied
him to sign the petition. Is it fair or honest to cajole
the ratepayers and libel a deserving officer of the
borough in this manner? Does the end sanctify the
means? It would seem so. But what are the facts as
to the superintendent's salary? For 12105 per annum
Mr. Gifford is Superintendent of the police foroe, Sani-
tary Inspector, Inspector of Lodging-houses, Inspector
of weighs and measures, and Inspector of the ere
fire brigade; this last office he took upon himself at the
request of the Council Tj years ago, and he has never
received any remuneration for It, though it Germ the
town £lO or Elff • year. But when measures were
adopted in regard to the cattle plseue, Mr. Gifford was
appointed Cattle Inspector, and for that duty he is to
receive £lO a year, but should the cattle plague cease,
as we all hope it soon may, that office and the £lO per
annum attaching to it would peas away. So thal to
make the most of it, he may be said to be in the receipt
of 1.115 • year, though how aeon it may be reduced to
£lO5 nobody knows. If this be so, and we challenge
refutation, what becomes of the memorial to which
signatures were obtained by representing the Superin-
tendent's salary *a £147 • year? It is a delusion and •
snare and ought to be treated as such. When the
subject again occupies the attention of the Counel—for
Alderman Hurls was careful to expltin he osly meant
to postpone its consideration to a future day, it in to be
hoped that the Council will not be deterred from doing
what they believe to be right by the "417 rush" of a
few persons acting under • misapprehension of the facts
of the ease, through the trickery of one or two noisy
demagogue..

On the Taws cr.nc reading from the agenda paper
that the nail basins/a was to receive a report from the
Watch Committee, recommending that the salaries of
the superintendent and hub-ori"nates of the polioe force
should be incremed,
Mr. 011:01101 CURTIS stepped up to the table around
whisk the Council sat, and handing in the memo ial,
mid: Allow me on behalf of the r tepayers whom
ignatetres are attached to present to you this memorial.
H. then gave it to Mr. Stone, and went on to my that
more would lave signed it had there been time for
getting the signatures—all them had been obtaieed
in an hour and a half ! It was their intention to con-
vene a public meeting, but as they oould not have that
building, they adopted the only course open to them,
and respectfully submitted the aforesaid memorial—
(loud applause).
The Tows Ccenn than reed the several documents
touching the proposal. 'lle letter of Supt. Oitionl to
the Watch Committee, on behalf of Mon& and umnbers
of the form, was as follow.: . . _

' ''ln oonsequence of the pretent high pries of provisions
and other mums which co be explained, I am indueed
on bebelf of mymlf and every member of the form (at
their own request,) to solicit you to consider the present
anal. of pay received by them with • vies .0 an increase
of their salary. In making this application! may
mention that in consequence of the cease, already
explained, and the great difficulty experienced in obtain-
' ing the seniors, of eligible men to fill the office of police
' constables (in almost ever) force in England), the police
authorities not cloy of the county of Dorset but most
other counties, have thought it desirable to increase
the stipend of their officers and men, in accordance with
the recommendation of the Secretary of Slate for the
Home Department. In conclusion, permit me to holm
that your committee sill h.ve our united application
your kind consideration, and that you will he pleased to
place the members of the Poole police force on an
equality (in • pecunial) point of view) si:th the oiliness
and men in the county po"oe."
The Watch Committee reported as follows on the
application
"Present 3. Wood, Esq., (Mayor), R.C. Hopkins, G.
Frampton, G. A. Adams, 0, Belben and E. Lacey,
Esqra.—Your committee have received • memorial fro a
the Superintendent of the Police force of the borough
asking that your committee would be pleased to place
the members of the force on an equality (in •
pecuniary point of view) with the officers and
men of the pees force of the county ; end
with that view your committee have ezamined
the rotors of the solarise allowed the county
police, which were adopted by the magistrates of the
wanly at the last quarter sessions held for the county
of Dorset and they find that the par of the police force
of the borough is Was than thorium, paid to the county
polies. They would, therefore, recommend that the
flupesintendent of Police should receive the same celery
as is allowed a sewed dam superintendent in the county
...ilea, and that the serpe.sit and priest...should receive ,
the same pay as aliowsd by the musty for sergeanta and
first and second clam private..”
The memorial to the Mayor, Aldermen, and Coun-
cillors of the borough 01 Poole, eliesed by forty-six
"I . runs thus
:
V:isthe undersigned ratepayers of the Borough,
viewing with empties the increasing expenditure of the
Polies form, more especially the present recommenda-
tion of the Wateh Committee, for the increase of the
wages of the whole staff, beg to request you, for the
following considerations, to reject the report of that
committee, or at least to postpone its consideration: -
I. Beeson the men in the force are not harder worked,
and are equally well paid as any class of mectuusies in
the town. 2. 13•01Wle when they rewired lees pay, and
were fewer in number, they were in sufficiently an
efficient date to receive the allowance made by govern.
teimedßotem3ht ik'etrowmurinamalhirymlfetaithen thrateeirPaffimugiliete,eBhettnivi.ellto';
deny themselves of ra....7"2°.'eontemamtiesiootatheryto pay the of the
and because of the pre. he condition of our town
croustrY ; cad MOM especially this time to do .
we consider it most anded '
rebis,
any-
thing to inereme the taxation of .tlie .7r°ugh-,e had"
The MaYoa explained that the mminds,
a mean between the present pay of their Sup, -hi in
0.46), and that of the first aloe Superintend',
; their recommendation was that him pay sbeet.
he made equal to that of • 2nd clam county liejerintea.
tent, and Host the men should be raised to the same
ware as the constables of Dorset.
In Anwar to Mr. Ade'', the TOWS an' said the
meaning of first and sewed-class constables ws• that a
man on joining the form was • second-class policeman,
but alter being( in a year, if reported of favourably
be became of the first grade. Be went on to say that
the Weymouth Superintendent, with 11 moo under him,
has L'l2o • year and • house.
The ILITOS said he was present when the Govern-
ment Inspector last examined the police form, and that
official complimented the town very highly on having
such an efficient body of men, and told him (the Mayor)
that if the town expected to retain their services they
must increase their pay ; if they did not the man would
leave them. The Southampton force was better paid
than the Poole force, and had not much more than
half their work to do. The metropolis wanted more
constables, and would draw off those of country tomes
1111lese their pity was knereniwl