The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-11-29
ROBBERY
Goes THROUGH.
Police Commissioners Pluck
Up Nerve Enough to
Pass the Short
Payrolls.
SECOND PRECINCT OBJECTS
Captain Kelly Promises to
Make Good the Loss to
His Men DR.. McGill's
Views.
SECOND PRECINCT OBJECTS

About fifty spectators assembled last
night in the First Criminal Court room
at eight o'clock expecting a lively and in
teresting session of the Board of Police
| Commissioners, who were to meet to eth
er pass in full or in part the. payroll of
the department. After wait of almost
an hour and half the Board filed in at
/ 9:1S. The crowd settled back in their
seats with expectancy written on their
faces and waited.
Much to the disgust of those who had
waited so long, it took but FIVE minutes
| by the clock for the entire business of
the meeting to be transacted. After
calling the Board to order the first busi-
ness was the passing of the payroll.
Clerk Robinson read an amount, Comm:e-
sioner Mitchell moved to pass the
"amount as specified on the payroll, Z
the motion was seconded and by a unan-
! imous vote Of the three Commissioners
the payroll for November, which has
created so much speculation among all
the members of the department, was
passed within two minutes. After few
minutes further business the meeting
was adjourned and the audience found it
self ON the street before it had quite
in progress. e
PAY ROLL IS SHORT.
The amount of the payroll as. passed
was SIS, ,156.47. The uninitiated did not
know whether this amount was the full
payroll or whether it represented short-
age. 1t does represent shortage, how
ever, Of about 81 ,2S9, which amount will
be deducted from the regular monthly
Epay of the department, according to rank
in the following partial payments: Com
missioners, each, $3.50; Chief, $35; In
spector, $50: captains, each, SIS; SER
geants, each, 4; patrolmen, each, $3.50,
and acting patrolmen, each, 81.
The above schedule was arranged in
the executive session of the Board which
lasted for over an hour, during which the
entire situation was discussed and
amicable arrangement reached whereby.
the difficulty could be overcome, of
shortage in the salaries account
A day or two after it was generally
known that there would be a shortage
in the pay roll this month, each captain
was Instructed to inform the men OF this
fact and find out how many of the men
would willingly agree 10 have a. certain
amount withheld. This canvass was
| made and when finished it was found
that in the whole department there were
but eighty men who did not answer in.
the affirmative as their names were
called. Out of these eighty men fifty y-fve
We're in the Second Precinct
While the open meeting passed off
without a hitch, the executive session,
1t is said, was not so entirely harmonious
at the start. When the Commissioners
all had met the first and only question
brought up for discussion was the pay
roll. DR.. McGill positively and absolu-
tcly refused to pass the pay roll for the
men in the SECOND Precinct in part. as
they had all declined to agree to the de-
duction This would mean the holding
up OF the entire months pay for that
precinct, and did not please the Repub-
lican members of the Board
CAPTAIN KELLY TO THERESCUE.
Captain John F. Kelly, commander of
the Second precinct, was sent for, and
after a short discussion agreed to stand
responsible for the payment of the short
age TO the men of his precinct which will
mean that he will have to take some
where's in the neighborhood of one hun
dred and thirty dollars out of his own
pocket on the first of the month.
Chief Murphy assumed the responsible
ity for the other members of the depart-
ment who had refused to agree to the de-
duction and will pay them the shortage
with the exception of one man, who will
not receive his money, making it possible
for him to sue the city for the amount
and thus establish precedent for the en-
fire department to get their back pay by.
It is necessary for one of the men to sue
who had refused to agree to the deduc-
ton for by agreeing to receive their pay
short certain sum the men lost the right
to sue.
pr. McGill at first proposed to the
other members Of the Board to make up
the shortage between them, but this. it
is said. they positively refused to do.
Chief Murphy, when interviewed last
night, said:-"One man will be delegated
to sue; the city. When he receives judg-
ment that will be the end of the entire.
business and all of the men will get
their back pay within one week, l feel
sure
An additional drain ON the men this.
month will be the deduction of the Rgu-
lar tri-monthly contribution to the pen
sion fund, which means $3.50 to each
patrolman.
DR.. John D. McGill, constituting the
Democratic minority in the Board, was
interviewed this morning and said
DIR. McGILL'S VIEWS.
The responsibility for all acts must
rest with the majority in the present
Board, which is Republican and, in sym
pathx with the Republican adninistra-
tion of this city,"
On the reorganization Of the present
n bn. nla h01 alo