Morning journal and courier., 1893-12-12
THEY REPLY TO THE MAYOR.

!" n II n V A n MI AfA OAAs Police and Fire Department officials
 Reply to His Statements About Ex-
 travagance and Fat Salaries-The
 Fire Department Sadly In Need Of a
 New Engine-Have Not Had One In
 Eight Years-The Police Records
 Defense of the Police.
 An examination of the records of the fire and police departments would, police and fremen think, tend to show that Mayor Sargent Is, to use the slang expression of the day, clearly ''off his trolley" when he states that practically the chief occupations of these two departments are the drawing of salaries and the securing of excessive appropriations. The way the case is set forth by the parties interested is as fol- lows:
 In the first place, it is understood that he claims that the fire department is not in need of new engine and that the procur- ingef one would be luxury instead of a necessity. Now, as 8 matter of fact, in the fire department there are exactly eight en- zines, seven of which are in active use. The engine which is not in active use is one which is always kept as Q reserve in cage of any of the other engines breaking down. Out of the entire lot of eight en- zines the newest one is eight years old and the oldest, the one used as 8 reserve en- zine, twenty-four years old. The ages of the other six engines are twenty-two years, twenty years, nineteen, eighteen, fourteen and twelve years respectively.
 In the next place the mayor claims that the fees received by the fire department for services outside the city limits have fund. This statement is fatly contradicted and proven by the report of City Treasur- CT Stoddard and his receipts in each case for the $50 so received The mayor Is also of the opinion, or claims to be, that the present twenty-four year old engine at 7's house Is all that is necessary to protect the vast lumber district about Water street. As matter of fact this engine Is hardly suitable even for reserve in case one of the other engines break down.
 The mayor also gets after the police de- partment on practically the same ground of extravagance, when as 8 matter of fact, 1t is claimed that he has not 80 much as even looked in the books of the depart ment, let alone examine them: This as- sertion Is made by the two officials who
 
 queetiop. In this department the claim is also mads by the city's chief executive that there is very little work done except to draw salaries.
 "Now," said prominent police official yesterday, ''let us look at the records of the department. In the fall of 1890 and the winter of 189091 there were only eighty five patrolmen on the force, 8 mum Der manifestly inadequate to the needs of the city, and in consequence out of total number of ffty-one burglaries only one burglar was captured. That the men, however, had something else to do beside drawing salaries that year totsl of 5, ,S6s arrests were made for various causes, an average of sixty nine to each patrolman. In October, 1891, the present superinten dent of police assumed his duties, and that year 5000 arrests were made. In 1892, 6,285 arrests were made and this year so far 6,540 have bsen made. In the winter of 1899 out of total of fifty five burglaries, fifty four burglars were arrest ed; quite a different showing from the year previous, but all made possible by the increase of the force."
 "Now what does all. this talk of the mayors about the absurd increase of the force amount toa At the commencement of the year 1891 the force numbered 9s men. In March of the same year 1t was found necessary to open two new stations one on Howard avenue and one on DiXwel avenue, and this course necessitated the increase of the forcs. do not believe thai the mayor would say that these stations are not needed. In the same year ten off cers were retired and their places had to bs filled. The number of burglsries in 1890 1891 clearly proved that the force was in adequate in numbers to protect the city'i interests. The force has been slowly in creased, but the total number of men or the payroll to day from superintendent down to patrol drivers Is only 13S. Dur ing this time the city has rapidly growr both in population and territorial extent and in consequence the increase of tn, force has been and will continue to be al absolute necessity. The men are all doin, excellent work and 1t is extremely seldon | that Q crook of any description slip through their fingers. The work of tn pare more than favorably with that don | by the department of any other city in tn ! country.
 "The mayor evidently has materiall ! changed his opinion in reference to the DO lice department, but this Is probably du
 to some private reasons of his own. Why
 1t was only about seven weeks ago that th
 mayor, upon the inspection of the polio
 force, complimented the members of -h
 force upon the work they had done durin
 the year and used these very words
 What the standing army is to the coun
 try 90 is the police force to the city, A
 this time he was more than snthusiasti
 over the work done by the men, but now
 apparently @ change has come over th spirit of his dreams"