The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-11
MAY REDUCE POLICE FORCE
HIGH SHERIFF WILL KEEP IN
SIDE APPROPRIATION.
If Legislature Reduces Appropriation
for His Department Nearly Dozen
Men Will be Dropped From Force.

If the Legislature persists in It's pro-
posed action of reducing the appropria-
tion of the various police departments,
the department of Honolulu will be
materially crippled. High Sheriff
Brown will have the choice of either
cutting down salaries or else reducing
the size of the force. He has decided
to reduce the size of the force in pre-
ference to reducing salaries for he
thinks it will be far wiser to have
smaller corps of men drawing the
highest wage possible than having
larger force drawing low wages.
AS the result of this determination
upon the part of the Hioh Sheriff from
10 to IL men will be dropped from the
force. Just who will be sacrificed has
not yet been definitely determined but
the blow will fall most severely upon
the mounted police. No less than six
men are to be dropped from this branch
OF the service. 1t may be even decided
TO drop one or two more from his
branch of the service although the She
riff is 10th to lose any men from this
part of Is force. The specials will also
be affected and three or four of them
will. be sacrificed. Several clerks will
also have to be dropped from the force.
In no case however will men be let out
FOR any incompetence but the curtail-
ment of the force will be made abso-
lutely necessary should the legislature
pass the proposed appropriation for the
police department on this island
| The reason for drowning so many men
is that the anDropriation as proposed
| by the finance committee of the house
reduces by $4,000 a year. the money
with which the High Sheriff is provided
to run his department. The mounted
officers receive $1,0S0 a year. This force
now consists of is men. If six be drop
ped this would mean a saving of near
ly $4,000 a year. The specials receive
from $50 to $40 a month each and three
or four of them dropped would save
about $500 more of the fund. The
/ High Sheriff has also been saved about
$1,000 a year bv the recent action of
Judge Humphreys in not requiring that
officers for his court be sent by the po-
lice department
IF the appropriation as proposed by
the Legislature for the police DEPART
ment on this island Is made" said High
Sheriff Brown today, lit will necessi-
tate dropping a number of men from
the force. l certainly am in favor of
! having a smaller force which received
the former wages than retaining the
same force with a reduction of salaries
1 In the curtailment of the force the
mounted branch of the service will be
! principally affected. This Is one of tn,
O
in the withdrawal of a part of the
mounted officers there will be worl
which can not be done at all by the
foot men. The mounted men are drill
ed in the use of firearms and in cas-,
of a riot they would be far better able
to Quell the disturbance than would
several times their number of infantry
police.
Indeed instead of cutting down tn,
appropriation, the Legislature SHOULD
make provision by which the wages. es
pecially of the foot officers could b,
raised from $50 to at least $50 month
The wages now paid them are not ade
quate and the result is that after we ge
a good and efficient man broken int,
work on the force, and he gets an op
portunity of securing a better position
he takes it,"
The reduction of the police depart
ment will not take place Immediately
1t will depend entirely unon the actio
of the Legislature in making appropria
tions. If the reduction now reported b.
the House finance committee is mad
then the force will have ~ be cut dow
to keep within the amount. On tn
other hand If the appropriation is ken
the same there will be no necessity 70
changing the force.