The evening world., 1893-12-08
OHe Of the Ways Of Keeping
New York Behind
the Age.
q Insured BY A GRAND JURY.
N . Prssentment the Need u a
Police Signal System Was
Set Forth.

10 take action upon the deporable .
cohson Of the city in regard to aIi,'
roiic ,IxnaI system and patrol wagon =,
eeryice or rather a lack of It, The
Sr.no -ors had spent much tim in n
asas ..,.he subject. They hadelso
.aa.. s Inv. he condition of the st1ets IN
ana 'ne ami. snce service. TIVE Re-
sentment ~n'ehs hey handed up attraeed d
II was a seattle r.,,.. 70 c,tv Ia
flcisls for wiiful Meet ., duties. n
ambulance service wa. sa,d IA he of M e
very worst kind. sand IL half adeauaN
for the needs Of a g,ut city. IL
spoke OF the hundreds of aL>dents which \
took place every month, I'D OF the
delay In taking victims to ho,,,tals for
treatment The delay in near, every
case lay. the Grand Jury said. /. the
fact that there was no police SINAI
system, and no patrol wagons. Here Is
an attract from that presentment:
In view OF the needs In this great
city, in which It is far below smaller
cities. we deem 1t our duty to urge
upon the Board of Police Commissioners
all possible speed In selecting the most
perfect system by which the entire pa :
troll force Of that Department may be
at,all times in complete and rapid COM
nnunication with their station houses,
both for police purposes and the relief
OF the ambulance service.
when this selection shall have been
made, after exhaustive competitive tests
by the Police Department. we urge upon
the Board of Estimate and Apportion-
ment prompt action in making the APP
preparation necessary to bring into ex-
'istence this greatly needed addition to
the useful functions of our city"
That presentment aroused the Police
were suggested to properly equip the
city. No longer would the officials he
rebnked. They would do something and
do 1t quickly.
1t must not be forgotten that the Po-
lice Commissioners had then been tin
kering with the same subject for four
years. However. they did get down to
business. and in their departmental es-
Inmates for the year they asked for II
The Board Of Estimate and Apportion-
ment OF that time took kindly to the slug
gestion; and as result sum OF 81, 800
was allowed the Police Board to start
with. That was simply the getting in
of the wedge. as II were. II being dis
tfnctly understood that all the money
proper time.
Great things We're looked for from the
Police commissioners. and great things
were promised while the Grand Jury y
presentment was still fresh in the public
mind. But when the memory Of that
document died away. AS It did. the
promises died with II. Weeks, months
and years have rolled away since then.
Hut where are the patrol wagons?
Police COMMISSIONS McClave. when he
explained his size of the case and denied
hnH l.nap IA
that he was heartily in favor or the
scheme. He wanted to see New York
city away ahead OF every: other munich
villages. as II is. lie did not mention to
the reporter that any money had ever
nsen appropriated for police wagons.
had the money not been used for that
purpose. but that instead 1t had been
diverted 10 another purpose altosethrrg
This Is not statement made on hear
say. 1t IL fact 1t Is ON record /,
has heen published In the city Record,
ana the request from the Police Com
missioners to so divert 1t to another pur-
pose Is stu on file In the Police Com
missioners' office. Here 1t is
To the Honorable the Board Of E.tlin.l. ''''
Gentlemen: At a meeting OF the Hoard u Police
Commissioners II was
Resolved That the BOARD ~ Estimate and Ap-
portionment be and IL h-r-m r-speItfuily rr.
ouested to transfer the sum "t 81 5oo from tue
APPROPRIATION made to he Police department Tor
harness. subsistence and repairs" which IL in
excess OF the amount received for the purpose and
sama Department for the year lSs. entitled For
ht purchase OF a site for the location OF sta
insa $eient to enable th- Mayor. Aldermen and
CoHhonalty OF the city o' New York to purrhss Ne
Iotl Sos Us; 1876 and la7 Charles street for the
owners OF the premises designated hsve
sell the H %r I n' :. 70; M e E: 81"
First Deputy CLERK.
it will be seen that the request was
made on Aug. last, and that the Board
ly considered it. The request was
granted. and 1850 given To start po-
lice patrol wagon service was eaten uu
mssoners W Say that ' tS srgss; anr Com
cess OF the amount required. In other
words. the Police Commissioners put
themselves on record as saying they do
not want the patrol-wagon service al all
Yet Police Commissioner McClave says
they do want II He admits that the city
needs the service and tina the public. IL.
respective OF party, are clamoring for IT,
Comptroller Myers has been blamed
and called the stumbling block. yet 1t IL
fact that he was about the only on,
who objected to that transfer, He
pointed out that II was given for a spe,
. CHIC purpose that the patrol wagons
were necessity, and yielded only be
cause his holding out could accomplish
That. however. Is not ALL In view OF
Commissioner McClaye's remarks, the
owing to Mr., Myers the reform both in
police signalling and patrol wagon ger.
vice had been put back century. He
told the reporter that absolutely MOTH.
ing could be accomplished until next
year, when the Board OF Estimate would
consider the. estimates for the year 1885,
or unless the Legislature could be in.
duced to take action.
Now, although Si2,50O, appropriated 70,
the year 1897 was diverted 10 another
purpose by the Police Commissioners the
fact remains that a similar sum was
appropriated for 1898. and so far as can
be ascertained II has not yet been ex-
pended. Here Is further fact:
There is at present in the provisional
estimates for next year a sum OF $250o
APPROPRIATED for patrol wagons, horses.