The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-14
For Service Pensions for
Police and Firemen.
Eaters to Be Brought Before
General Assembly.
An Official Who Is Not 0verpaid--A
Successful Enterprise.

In a rev DAYS a committee made up OF
one man attached to each. public station
in the city will hold a meeting for the
purpose OF considering the matter of
pensions for members tine force who have
served q certain number OF years. There
is now before the General Assembly a
bill authorizing the city of Providence
to pension men who are disabled or in
capacilated, but it makes no provision
for the retirement OF men after a long
term of service ON a pension. Ii is for
the purpose of Adopting a plan to secure
such a provision that the coming meet
ing will be held. There is undoubtedly
in this city a very strong sentiment in
favor OF a service pension both Tor poiice
and fire men. Men who have served the
city faithfully for 20 or % years ara. it is
claimed, entitled to some provision OF
this sort.
1t must be remembered that a man in
order to obtain a position on tbe force
must be In the prime OF LIE IN nrst-
class physical condition. Give him 20 or
rs years of duty, in all weatners and
under all conditions; let him risk his
life to save the drowning or enounter the
hard blows OF desperate law breakers
and at the end of that time lis physique
is pretty well broken down. he is
certainly in no condition to enter any
other business nor after that period
should he be compelled to perform active
service. The only way OF dealing justly
with the police is to adopt some such sys-
tenn as that in force in New York and
other cities where after a certain term of
good service the officer Is retired on a
pension sufficient to keep him and those
dependant pom him from want for the
remainder OF his life.
There Is one officer over at the city hall
that even the Goo Coos cannot claim is
overpaid. Assistant City Clerk Chevers
has many trying duties to perform and is
Away prompt and efficient in discharging
them. He is thoroughly conversant with
every detail of the department and IL
would not be an easy task TO find one so
well qualified for the position. For more
than Is years he has held this Office and
yet his salary at the present time is only
$500 a year. The increase of work put
upon the head OF the department has been
recognized and the city clerk gets a
salary somewhere near the value of his
services rendered, but his assistant has
not been SO considerably treated by the
city fathers.
When the Rev. DIR. Greer, formerly rec
tor of Grace Church, i'm this city, and now
of St. Bartholomew, New York, first
proposed the esta olishing of a pawn shop
for the purpose OF giving temporary mon
etary ass stance to the deserving at a low
rate OF interest and thus save them from
the extortionate demands OF the regular
pawn brokers who waxed fat on the ne
c~essities of the poor, his scheme was pro-
nounced Utopian, impractical ano GER
tain to fail If ever put into operation.
Here in Providence those who knew DIR.
Greer well felt certain thai he would adj
vocate no enterprise the issue of which
was doubtful, and they therefore l. cd
for q reasonable degree of success from his
novel yet eminently practical plan for
plan was put in operation. The pawn
shop has been running for 20 months and
instead OF proving a failure, as predicted,
Ii is q success far beyond the most SAN
guine hopes of its protector or those who
assisted him In putting it in operation.
The rate OF interest charged was only l
per cent. a month, as against 3 per cent.
a month by the regular pa wnbrokers.
There was loaned between May, 1894,
and January i, of the present year, the
sum of $500, 600, and of this sum only
&328. Al HAS lost. After paying all expen-
SEES, fixed charges as wen as 40 per cent.
of the cost of Office furniture, there re-
manned OF the amount received for inter-
est $40, 309.0 9. The contributors to the
capital on which the enterprise was start
ed are to receive O per cent. on their con-
tributions, and the trustees have decided
to enlarge the business and invite new
subscribers to help on the good work.
They propose to open a branch ON the
lower east side, and to obtain the neces-
eary funds will issue certificates of contri-
button to the amount of 800, 600, ana 8
per cent. debenture bonds for a like
amount. Evidently the ''church pawn
shop" as its opponents dubbed 1t, is to
become a permanent and beneficent insti-
tuition, In New York at least.