Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-06-10

Whether you shall exercise that power. OF
not, is a matter for your judgment with.
out any suggestions from myself I have
however, to suggest that so far as the
TELEPHONE COMPANIES
are concerned, inasmuch as their right to
erect and maintain poles upon the streets
of the city was granted them under ordi-
nance No. PA, which expressly reserves the
right to your honorable body to pass such
further ordinances upon the subject as Won
desire, and inasmuch as the provisions of
that ordinance, requiring them to plane
and paint their poles, have not been com
piled with by them to great extent, and
the privilege which is accorded to them ia
an exceedingly valuable one, it might be
proper, in your discretion, not only to re-
quire compliance upon their part with
the suggestions of the Fire Department.
and with the provisions of the ordinance
in question, but in addition thereto, REQUIRE
them to place the telephone service at
proper points at the disposal of the police
and fire department for their use, without
additional cost to the city. At present
each city department using the telephone
is, as am advised, req uired to pay for it.
and inasmuch as that service is rendered
without any appreciate cost to the tele-
phone company, it might be we'll that in
return for the privileges extended to them
by the city they should contribute the nee
cessary telephone service for the use of
the city, without charging therefor at the
rates at present charged to private sub.
scribers. The condition of the
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT,
and its services during the past year will
fully appearin the report of the Chief of
Police which will be before you.
Inasmuch as the area of the city has, and
is, rapidly extending, and at present in
cludes 365 miles of streets to be patrolled,
and the available force of men for that
purpose does not exceed forty, on account
of the necessary detail of men upon
special duty at the Union depot, railroad
crossings on Third street, and at the CITY
Hall, it perhaps might be advisable that
your honorable body should take some Or
der towards a particular examination of
the present needs of the city with relation
to the police force, and as to whether or
not a slight, or at least some increase, may
not be necessary.
POLICE STATIONS.
There is an actual and existing necessity
at present for sub-stations, one in the
western, aud another in the eastern portion
of the city. As at present patrolmen are
on duty at distances of from one to three
miles to the City Hal, and as that station
is the only police st alton in the city, po-
iceman making an arrest in the suburbs,
either by day or night, is compelled to
leave his beat and bring his prisoner from
a long distance to the City Hall, leaving
the district comprised in his patrol I'M
guarded and unprotected while engaged in
so doing. If such stations should be estab-
ished at proper points, one great necessi-
ty for an increase of the present force
would be to certain extent obviated, and
a more effective duty and policing OF
the city would be the immediate result
And to this requirement is to be added the
present and pressing necessity for a patrol
wagon, the placing of which at the use of
the department is exceedingly necessary;
and if your honorable body should see fit
to consider such matters, would also sug-
gest that the establishment of
A SYSTEM OF POLICE ALARM
might also be found to be beneficial
When it is considered that the enforce
ment of law and order, and of all the or
dinances, whether civil or criminal, includ-
ing those regulating the conduct of such
business as is cont olledby the enactments
of your honorable body, the reports as to
the condition of the streets, and as to gas
and oil lamps, are all confded to this de-
partment, to which you look for their en-
forcement, execution and observance, it
places the Importance Of an effective police
service far beyond the mere matter of the
arrest of criminals, or repression Of crime,
and in fact, the larger portion of the duties
of the Police Department consists in the
performance of such duties, and the en-
forcement of such ordinances the due OBJ
servance of which is necessary for the well
fare of the city, and strongly tends to
economic in many of its sources of reve-
nue..
THE LAW DEPARTMENT.
Repeated enactments, involving amend
ments to the charter, of the city the creation
of new subdivisions Of the municipal de-
partments by legislative enactments, con-
tanned Acts passed at every session of the
legislature since 1874, including extra SEES
sions, have produced q serious completely in
present condition of our Charter. l learn
with great pleasure that the very efficient
Law Department of the city has already
perfected and completed most necessary
codification of the Charter and existing or
dinances. 1 have the honor to specially
request that your honorable body will take
the necessary steps to Immediately cause
the same to be published, and placed in
the hands of the several officers for use in
the different departments.
MAYOR RICE.
AS l have stated, it seems TO me- that the
present occasion does not require at my
hands more particular Or detailed state
ment of the matters involved, land will make
no further allusion to them. [ have not
attempted TO give more than general re-
sumo of the condition of the more promi-
nent features of public affairs, and in
view Of the exhaustive treatment which all
those subjects have received at the hands
of the retiring mayor, such allusons upon
my part would be entirely unnecessary and
superfuous.
EXECUTIVE DUTIES.
By the Charter of the city your Mayor is
made the chief executive officer, and is di-
rectly charged with personal responsible
ty for the enforcement of the provisions of
the Charter of the city, the ordinances
that you may enact, and the laws of the
State, so far as the same are applicable
within its limits To vour BODY is confided