New-York tribune., 1876-12-09
MUNICIPAL REFORMS URGED.
WORK or THE NEW-YORK MUNICIPAL
SOCIETY.


SPECIAL EXEMPTIONS TO CHURcHEs-PooL-
Selling AND OTHER Evils TO BE INVESTIGATED.
The New-YOrk Municipal Society held its
at meeting in its new building at No 67 Madson-aye
on Thursday evening, Donnan b. Eat, presiding. The
soety was organized eight months It's object being
20 secure better and honest. ecieut, and econom
cal administration for the City Of New-Yor the reduc-
o Of taxation and Of the city debt also TO aid in
p good municipal and other laws and administration in
o. affecting the state. The regular membership Is
limited TO hundred persons, irrespective of party,
who cannot solicit accept any nomination for
,ce municipal State Federal In addition there are
o 80 honorary members TO be elected for four years,
INT they car neither vote hold office in the society,"
AT present there 50 regular and IL honorary men,
hars By subscription among the members the building
oNo G7 NadisOnave. has been erected its cost with
The furniture having been $4,000. The building covers
the whole lot and contains large hg, wen ventilated
and lighted, which viii seat &, ,GIfUrlably about
o5o people The hall has l. admirably arranged,
90 that it may be used for lectures, private
tbearcas and other social purposes. The building con
tains recepuoR-roOms. cloak rooms, and committee
roons The society will occupy the hall once month,
and its committees week, and on the other nights
can he rented At present the MendelssOhn Glee Club
holds rehearsals III the han.
The first business Thursday evening the consid-
Grafton of the following report the at which the
,oliee justices commence their work. submitted By C. s.
smith, John H. Hall, and John c. Emo. They report:
proycmsnt in the general administration Justice in the
police courts compared with former years The orde
courts carried greatly to the credit OF the present
board OF police Justices Ihe idety shown IN e1,oIcg,
posed Oenses is in marked contrast with previous
collected have been less than $4,000; III 1874
they were S71,2S7 %; i'm 1S75 $72,49S 90;
Vor COMMITTEES desire particularly 10 commend all
VINO wish TO understand this important subject, tue
Second Annual Report OF the Board OF Police Jnscs
as very valuable and comprehensive digest of criminal
liar report provided for by act OF legislature OF $50
cannot fail to furnish the pubic with lmportno
tion and will lead to the suggestion ana enforcement oi
such measures OF lmpToHement as tnc ao ,nr n that
some the changes reooumeEded IN thelr lss IePoit
deserve the attention OF the Legislature at ITS present
Your committee have been compelled to verify the en-
fire iu,tice the complaints made regarding the late
ness and rregulary of the opening OF Inc police courts
They cannot fail to characterize them as great eVs Ior
which the poll ee Justices responsible, and 10 express
the hope that immediate consideration on te part Ol tne
justices may be gwen to muGnsedeu % REFORM ~ Tder wer o
state that this habit OF late opening dd not originate
enses They also satisfied thai OF the justices
have been more habituay late than Others but they DO
Your committee believe that is the provision Of the
laws binding upon the police justices that Sngr courts
Regulations OF the Board OF Police Justices Is as FOL
the several Police District Courts shall be open every day
not later than o'clock m pn ~ oGGGs nIon uSsS 'e M
seui o5en for such per1Od Of time. 80
Il Nil be seen that the justices interpret the
abSyementoned rule of their own board only as apply
INC 10 their clerks far the hour OF opening Is con-
eeTrel Your committee believe that IL viii not be
denied that the justices very rarely appear in theircourts
until after SAG O'clock in the morning. and that as rule
they hour to an hour ana hai Denlnd inc
time fixed in their own rules From Nov 10 TO NOV so,
Justice e:35 IN the mornng on one gay tne TIME Ie
Justice took his seat was iO minutes past ~,
committee believe that high considerations Of pub
nc Justice and policy require that the police
n moi later than zig O'Clock in the morning, and that
they should require of their clerks the preparation at an
ing and that the same Prnctnaity should DC sno%n IN
~ en1ion by the following considerations. Some
pausons necessary in order to the proper under
eSeh with a salary OF $1,000 per annum; there are
ee courts four Manhattan Island and one for the
M County The police courts, however, do not comprise
an the duties OF the Justices for there are besides exam
the Court Of SPECIAL Sessions for three day OF each week
The police courts deal only with the criminals brought
before them by the policemen from the various precncs
TheIe arc about 1000 policemen In TINS city OF Wlcn
and remain until o'clock the morning. This may
be called "tbe night watch" AT o'clock another DodY
IN O'clock Of the same morning and this latter body is
called the dog watch" The LOCO men composing the
nlght watch then have extraordinary occasions eX
cepted such res election day, &c, &e) an lnteryal
. the IN tine 70 NJ hecessary in 1 delivering their
prisoners to the police courts, and also less t1e Ie
ustee and the disposition Of their prisoners either by
discharge otherwise. Your committee believe that
three to hours of the time Of rest allotted TO police
men are lost each morning by attendance upon police
courts in case they have made arrests in pursuance OF
hasting labor cold aud stormy nights and often with
out opportunity for breakfast until after prolonged at
tendance upon the police courts.
These facts tend largely deoraze the efficiency Of
the policemen They are strongly tempted TO eyade ther
out detection when they know that such failure will
give them three to four hours more time at home
There are more than $4,000 brought before the
police courts every year, about daily average OF 24O
an average OF about 259 each day. Now II one police
man on an average must wait TO give his evidence Tor
every two Of the prisoners brought & 1eioI9 ore e oc
officers daily kept waiting because DVe ponce Justices
But this IA not all Something on the of humanity
is due to the prisoners The "lock,up rooms OF tle
police courts are small and vena&aed, % l & e a cIadc6 cS
therein, frequently noisy and Disgusting thrOhg win
an occasional person of respectable appearance anu ate
Open- II our citizens desire demonstration OF inc lasI
taSs e IN 1e e ToS az coo in the morn
Ing. when the prisoners begin 10 arrive from te staiO
I2x1s fee-desiened for prisoners one for males and
the other females Before the arrival OF tDe hstce
rooms tbe one for males especially packed closely
Ihe men can stand, and frequently OyerOwng ntO the
eouroons as compared with the business Of this court
disgraceful TO New-York Your committee Deneye
that the Court Of Special Sessions Is cOhouceu at present
To conclusion they beg leave add that they have not
Ienses OF either OF the police district courts Of the
Court Special Sessions that subject mas Oceh cOhsu
cred In previous report to the society
The Police Justices had been invited discuss the
port, and Justices Kibreth wandell, and oterbourg.
were present Justice Kbreth said that when 40 or 90
policemen were present only could be heard once
and so some lose time There might be saving OF
time by beginning the work earlier, but many cases
the officers themselves kept Justices waiting The chief
thing was NOT much the time the regularity in the
time and its strict Observance. Justice Kbreth said
that except he had been later at his
eha ~