Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-06
COMMISSIONERS REPORT
Continued from First Page.)

places new men of younger age and full
physical fierce. In addition. however. to
this Change request is made for an in
crease of fifty men. If this allowance is
made. which the Commissioners earnestly
hope may be tie case. and every man on
the force be an able-bodfed man, and every
man now detailed for other duties be as
signed to street duty, the force would not
then be as large it should be to proper
ly patrol the seventy-two square miles of
territory for which We are responsible.
Deserving of Reward.
1t ought not to be charged against the
force that because it has been so efficient
with limited numbers it need not be in
creased. 1t should rather be rewarded for
the extraordinary eXertions it has made
working more hours than is proper or just,
with the increase asked for, so that not
only the city will be benefited, but the
men themselves given that proportion of
work and rest which best fits them for ac-
tive aa.raG efficient Service
IN addition 10 the regular work of the
police department in patrolling the streets
guarding the property of the citizens and
protecting them, experimenting criminals
&c, attention is invited to the interest
ing and valuable reports of important
work done by officers of this department
IN connection with the sanitary office,
"here Migrants. lunaticS and those in dis
tress are provided for; the hack inspec-
tor, who looks after and keeps in order
all public vehicles, restraints the drivers
from imposing upon strangers and charg-
10 assist the Huma ne Society in the care
OF children who are taken from homes of
vice and who would be left destitute when
their parents are imprisoned If it were
not Tor MS good services, and the harbor-
master and the valuable work done along
tne river front in patrolling our harber
enforcing the law and protecting the prop
crty in that neighborhood.
Condition of Station Houses.
The station houses, nine in number, are
most of them in a condition which Is any
thing but creditable, and far from being
either sanitary or comfortable. This is
especially true of the older houses Most
OF them are too small, are not properly
lighted or heated. have not sufficient sleep-
ing accommodations for the men, and all of
them are equipped with old-fashioned brick
cells instead of modern steel cells The
small amount of money appropriated for
repairs to these station houses is ALWAYS,
found to be entirely inadequate to put them
IN proper condition. Money is asked for
an additional story to each of two of the
station houses and also a small amount to
make repairs which are absolutely neces-
Sary.
sufficient amount of money to purchase
Il iot ana erect q station at Anacostia is
asked for. This section of the District is
rapidly growing in numbers and Importance
anu deserves more complete patrol than
we are now able to give it. AT present the
only building used there is small rented,
one-story brick structure, with two cells
IN charge of a sergeant, who has detail
OF only fourteen men.
improvements introduced.
Such improvements in the various details
OF the management of the offices as We're
possible have been introduced from time to
time With the force sufficiently large to
allow 1t, many others might still be intro
duced. such as a complete and thorough
drill, revolver practice and surgical prac-
tice. which would enable the officers to give
lrst AID to the injured, and similar ac-
qulfements. which add so much to the eff
hciency of the police force in other cities
but which this force has been necessarily
deprived OF, because of the small numbers
hecessltatlng so many hours of service as
TO deprive the men of time which if is only
just to allow them. 1t is hoped however
that with the proposed increase of force
We may be able to take up some of these
practices and still further increase it's eff
hciency.
The Criminal Record.
1t cannot but interest every citizen to read
that chapter of the report of the ma Tor and
superintendent of police which relates to
crime and the manner in which it has been
handled during the past year. 1t is thought
of which it need not be ashamed. 1t is not
the record of any police department that
every offender is caught and every crimi-
nal punished The proportion. however, of
arrests to crimes committed is as good as
could reasonably be expected
The following will show the work done by
the police surgeons, four in number for the
year ending June 80, 1897: Visits made
III: patients treated, LIB; office con-
situations, 2.I19; supposed insane EXAM
ined 1,S visits 20: applicants examined
5lI: examinations of applicants held %.
number accepted (26.SS per cent? 1879; num-
Der rejected Obi per cent?, 37S.
Fire Department.
Congress has of late years shown a dispo-
sition to recognize the necessity for an IN
crease of the fire department to protect
the rapidly growing suburbs of the city as
we'll as of the city itself, and during the
past year provision was made for two ad-
ditional engines and two carriages The
engine houses at Brightwood and Ecking-
ten were completed and made ready tor
occupancy on the first day of July. when
the money for their equipment became
available. An appropriation was also made
Tor the purchase of ground and the cree
ton of buildings al Anacostia and on Sth
street between ID and E streets, in the
heart OF the city. The building at Anacos-
tia viii soon be completed, and the work is
about to be begun on the Sth street house
w flc the EuNlDer or engines and trucks
provided is larger than ever before IL is
still entirely inadequate to meet the de-
mands, and in this report will be found es-
Inmates for additional engines and trucks
Most of the engine houses are in excel
lent condition. are kept scrupulously clean
and are always attractive places to visit
The older ores suffer greatly by comparison
with the newer ones, and should be either
replaced with new structures or so thor
ouehly remodeled to give the comforts
and conveniences which are essential to
men who are SO closely and constantly con-
fined to the house as are the firemen.
Increase in Pay.
The chief of the fire department asks,
with much force for an increase of pay for
all those connected with his department
based partly on amounts received for sim
liar services in other cities, and partly on
the cost of a moderate living as compared
to the small amounts of money received
1t should be borne in mind in connection
with the salaries of the fire department
that the men employed in this work are,
more than any other set of men employed,
liable to serious injury sudden death,
which will leave their families without ally
support other than the small amount OF
pension which they will receive. 1t is only
an act of simple justice to provide for
these men while they are rendering such
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