Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-16
CITY Officials Want a Bureau of
Information in Connection With
the Police Department.
WHAT MAYOR GOURLEY SAYS.
The New Institution Will Not Entail Any
Additional Expense to the Tax
payers of the City.
RUSH OF VISITORS SHOW ITS NEED.
Country People Exposed to Danger Through the Dark
wsys Of shArpsr.

The necessity of city bureau of infoma-
tion where strangers in town could 60 and
find out the different points Of interest, or
ascertain where some particular place was
located, has been shown since the opening
of the Exposition. That such branch OF
the City Government should exist is some
thing that will not be denied by any person
who has noticed the large crowds OF strangers
on the streets since the show opened.
According TO figures furnished by the
passenger departments of the different rail-
wavs entering the city there have between
5000 and 5000 strangers, on an average, IN
town every day. This is exclusive of the
crowds attracted BY the Iron and Steel In
stitute, the engineers convention, Revision
Committee, laundrymen's meeting, and the
convention of German Catholics. These
people, the majority of whom could be seen
daily on the streets asking passers-by for in
formation regarding some point they wished
to visit. and the police records show num-
Der of cases OF suspicious characters who
were only too ready to guide the strangers to
any place they wanted to be taken. No
robberies were reported, but it was not be-
cause tie strangers did not give sharpers an
opportunity to 10" them.
AFRAID OF THE BUNKo MAN.
In other cases it was painful to notice the
look of distrust with which a stranger eyed
every person he found it necessary to accost
for fear that be was running up against a
bunko steerer.
A number Of good reasons were given for
the bureau at The DISPATCH voting
contest at the Exposition on Tuesday. In
many cases those who wanted the bureau
were country folk, vino see the necessity of
such an institution more than their city
cousins One man wanted the bureau estab-
lished in City Hall and ruu under the
supervision of the Department of Public
Safety.
Mayor Gourlev is in favor OF this idea,
and saws it would not entail any additional
expense on the city. 1t could be connected
with the Police Bureau, and every mem ber
OF that department would also be an en-
plove Of the Bureau of Information. On the
ground floor of City Hall is the Office of the
police patrol telegraph, and the operator in
the Office, which is open at all hours day
and night, could answer all questions with
out it interfering with his other duties. In
speaking of the innovation, Mayor Gourley
said yesterday:
THE MAYOR ENDORSES IT.
Such a bureau is certainly needed in
this city, and l am heartily in favor of it if
it does not cost anything additional to the
city to maintain it. There is no question but
strangers are exposed to great risks when they
accost every person on the street in search of
information A uniformed police officer should
be the person to direct strangers to any place
they wanted to 60 but great many country
people stand IN such awe of our officers that
they are afraid to ask them what they think
are foolish questions. As we have a large
number of officers they could be instructed to
keep lookout for strangers and answer ques
tions IN manner that would put the visitors at
ease.
"There are thousands Of people in the city
daily, and there are great many points of in
terest they do not know anything about 1t
should be the aim of Pittsburgers to show
visitors every possible courtesy, and IMPRESS
upon them the extent and beauty of our city. If
we have something worth selling believe We
should show 1t, and not be backward about il.
Every citizen should be fired with this kind of
enthusiasm and it is such feeling as this that
the people of the growing Western cities have.
They get up and hustle and are not afraid TO
talk of their town. As a natural result they
bring people to it. and they do not wait for the
natural increase in population to build the
town up ! am heartily in favor of such an
institution, and hope something will be done
about it"
A SOUTHSIDE OPINION.
Magistrate Succop, of the Southside, has a
few ideas of his own about such an enterprise.
and thinks that while the bureau should be
under the jurisdiction Of the city, any of the
other departments, it should be self-sustaining.
In speaking of the matter last night he said:
i believe it is one OF the greatest necessities
OF the CITY, 1t would be very convenient for a
business man coming into the city, a stranger,
and If ne ouiv had two or three hours in which
to 20 half dozen places that he did not know
where to find. TO have a messenger or guide TO
take him all around for a nominal price In
most large cities a guide must be paid n
dollar an hour If a bureau were organized
many other valuable features, messenger de-
partment through which a service could be
furnished at mere nominal price. In this way
the bureau would be nearly, if not altogether,
self-SuStamlnG.
IN general the bureau ought to be a place
where any information concerning the city
could be obtained. 1t ought to be located some
place near the heart of the city, within easy
access of all railroad depots / believe l would
have those in charge of it TO be persons capable
Of answering any question relating to the CON-
mercial. manufacturing, financial, political OF
social interests of the city. If stranger wanted
TO know what the real estate transactions
for the last week, month or year amounted
to, or what amount of money had
passed through the Clearing House the pre-
vluus day he could be accommodated with the
information. Some plan ought to be arranged
in connection with it. however, by which the
running expense could be derived from it."