The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-20
THROWS MONEY AWAY.
The Police Department is an Ex-
pensive Luxury
IT COSTS OYER $4,000 A MONTH

while IL Brings Into the City Treas
my Only m1G3. 5O-The Department
Refuses to Reduce Its Force While
Fire Department. and other Depart
ments 7Eusr suffer.
Economy is the watchword now in
city affairs. The proposed occupation
tax will be met with such storm of pro-
tests when the ordinance comes up, that
the city council viii hesitate to pass 1t
and the question Of saving money TO the
city by ec0n0mizing in the vario0s der
partmeuts rather than Increasing the
taxes, will have to be met.
An example Of the injustice Of the
metropolitan police system, is being
brought to the attention Of the people OF
Topeka The council can scale down
salaries and reduce the number OF men
employed IT'D every other department DuS
the police department, and with reckless
disregard Of the condition Of the city
finances The payroll continues to increase
each month, while the receipts from lines
decrease ia like proportion II the POI
lice department insists on running on
boom times basis, it ought at least to be
self-supporting.
The following comparison will prove
Interesting.
For July 1894. the expenses of the POI
lice department were $S,O42-56, and the
receipts from fines were $1,000.
For July 1898 the total expenses OF the
department were 81. $1,000, while the re-
celpts from zines were S5l6.
This Is an increase ia the expense of
e795s4 for July 1894 over the same
month one year ago.
Tho expenses for March 1894 were
s Ss9 So and the recel pts from fines
Were 500 The total expenses for the
CORES bonding month ia 1898 were ST..
leo. 5, and the receipts from fines $500.
This ls I'D increase ia expenditures over
March of last year Di $47422
"A dozen policemen could look after
the interests OF 5he CRY just as satlsi &C
torly as the whole force does now, and
the city would save $1,000 a month"
said councilman. "and still the ex-
penses keep on increasing making add
tlonal burdens for the tax payers"
This shows the outrage0usness Of the
Metropolitan police system, when II IS a
tine hands or uuscrupolOus politicians.
The police force k now a refuge for
number Of Popuiist ward politicians who
couldn't earn living at any o her busl-
ness; so under the present administra-
tion The Guy has to support them while
the pay OF hrenen and valued city en-
pioyes has to he reduced. The business
men Of Topeka ought to hold a mass
Indignation meeting and adopt some res
oluti0us that would make the ears Of
Commissioners Whiting, krauss and
saddle such an expensive police depart
ment on the city in these hard times.
There would be no reason to talk of an
occupation tax IL the police department
didn't cost SO much In this connection
t. is we'll to state that the street force
c0nld lie reduced without the interests
OF tho city suffering. Let the digging
up of the streets cease for while.
Seventh street has recently been plow-
ed up and graded" That Improvement
and many similar ones may we'll be post
pOned for a time.
q he street force is q big item of ex-
pense On the city Lay rolls. but the total
amount is reduced considerably over The
corresponding months Of last wear. For
June, 1884, the expenses were 81, 914O9,
aud for June. 1898, $4,2x3.65.
During this dry season, while but little
work on the streets is necessary, this
sum might be further reduced and the
force limited TO the actual requirements
in grading for sidewalks and keeping
culverts IN repair. A great deal OF the
blowing in the streets IL absolutely use