The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-28
THE POLICE RESERVE FUND
CITIZENS NOT DIRECTLY TAXED
 FOR ITS SUPPORT.

Income Derived Chiefly From Saloon Keepers, Five Per Cent. of the Amount
 of Whose License is Appropriated by the Statutes for the Fund-Steps Being Taken | to Make Fund Self.Supporting.
 | There are at the present time on the retired list of the New Haven police | department eleven ex-members of the force who are drawing pensions from the reserve fund of the police depart ment. The men who are deriving these benefits at the present time are ex-Cap- tain William M. Hyde. ex-Sergeant George F. Selleck, ex-Doorman Richard Moore, and ex-Patrolmem w. K. Schmidt, H. Doherty, c. B. Stokes, J. w. Walter, William Kearney, J. F. Net tleton, T. Rhodes and w. H. Nichols. All of these men had served for over twenty years on the force. and were consequently entitled to the benefits cre- ated by the fund.
 The money which supports this fund is not the result of direct taxation upon the citizens, as many suppose. but is derived from various sources, the chief element of income being the saloon keepers of the town of New Haven. per cent. of whose license fees and tax es are turned over to the fund, so that in no way is the citizen directly or in directly taxed for the support of the fund.
 The act establishing the fund was ap- proved by the general assembly May 1Ss 1893, and has been in operation contfn- uously since that time. Owing to the fact that the citizens, or at least a por- tion of them, do not understand the pro- l visions of the act as is evidenced by the fact that they think that the fund Is supported by direct taxation, the fol- lowing extract from the bill, showing from what source the revenue is receiv- ed, is quotled: There shall be in each city a fund to be known as the reserve fund of the police department and said fund shall consist of: 1, all property specially de- vised or donated for thel benefit of dis aibled policemen and all property do- mated the department on account of ser- vices rendered; 2, five per cent. of all fees or taxes collected on account of li- censes to sell or sales of spirituous or Intoxicating liquors within the limits of the town in which said city Is located; 3, all lost abandoned, unclaimed or sto- len money i'm charge of the board of po- l lice commissioners or police committee of said city and all moneys arising from the sale of unclaimed, abandoned, lost or stolen property in charge of said board; 4, all rewards, fees, gifts, testi- nonials and emolumentS that may be presented to any member of the police force on account of special services, ex- cept such as shall be allowed by said board of police commission to be re- tained by said member; and 5, the in- terest and income from all property and moneys belonging to said fund.-
 From thle above 1t is clearly shown that the taxpayers of the city other than the saloon keepers are not taxed for the support of the fund and therefore 1t is not a burden upon any citizen, be he poor or wealthy. By the establishment of this fund lit is possible to retire any member of the department for disability or meritorious service on half pay after he has been connected with the depart mlerlt for a period of twenty years or more.
 The pension or reserve fund at the present time amounts to about $24,000, but it not yet self-su supporting, owing to the fact that the income from interest and from the saloon keepers, etc., does not quite equal the amount paid out leach year to the pensioned ex-members of the department. A movement is now in contemplation among the members and ex-members of the department to make the fund self-supp orting by each one voluntarily contributing a, certain sum each year to the fund, which would be in the aggregate of material assist ance. If, for example, every member of the department, all of whom are eli- gible ito the benefits provided by the act, should contribute $5 each per year. the aggregate amount so contributed in each year would amount to about $750, and this together with the interest de- rived from the investments in bonds. etc., would in a few years make the faIInH self-SllnnOy.tfn1