Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-19
THE PATROL WAGON
A Citizen Suggests Nice Place for 1t
 on Leavenworth Street.

The article in yesterdays issue of the Democrat rNative to the much talked of patrol wagon created whole lot of talk ill all parts of the town and representatives of the paper were stopped at different points to- day by people who wanted to give che commissioners 8 little information.
 What are they thinking of, any way?" remarked one man. "They don't know where to put 8 patrol wagon? Why, they have the incest place In the world for it on Leaven- worth street, between the engine house and the bureau of engineering. The land is not used for any purpose and it could be fitted up for a few hum dred dollars. The side walls are aI- ready up and all it needs is roof and flooring. It runs back to the police station, so that prisoners could be put into the lockup out of the wagon sim ply by making a doorway from the wagon house leading into the corridor of the lookup. It is an ideal spot for the wagon and the commissioners will make a big blunder if they don't put 1t there.''
 Another citizen said he hoped that the board would not think of purchas- ing an automobile "You don't know where you will have to go with pa trol wagon" he said. land the idea of starting down Washington avenue. Hill street, Seymour street and other places of the kind, especially in the winter season, is preposterous. If the commissioners don't want to make a big bull of this thing they should have talk with the authorities and see what they have to say about auto mobiles for that purpose. The ma- chine is apt to get. out of gear any time and leave you on the street with a crazy man Or patient that needs to be taken to the hospital as quickly as possible. With horses the danger from trouble of this source is great ly minimiZed and I cannot believe that the commissioners are thinking seriously of giving us anything but a wagon propelled by a horse or two. We may differ as much as you please about what the commissioners have done since last January, but I have faith enough in their good Judgment to feel that when the patrol wagon comes it will be what We want and the city will own it, too. and have Q suitable place to house it"
 The above remarks are samples of what has been said on the question, with the addition that all felt that the vehicle should be put in commission as soon as possible. One man thought that If the thing drags along until next fall without anything being done some of the so-called econo- mists may succeed in talking the city fathers into abandoning the pro 'ect altogether and then the last stage of the case will be worse than the first, because, as he. said. if by any hook or crook the $5,O00 appropriation for 8 police wagon should be converted to some other use or covered back into the city treasury it would take years before it would come up again.
 One thing that Is worrying the commissioners is an expense which few people see. The patrol wagon will mean an extension of the police signal system, not necessarily, to be sure, but in order to get the best re- suits from it this will have to some, so that while the wagon will fill a long felt want, so to speak, it will not meet the requirements of the depart ment until the signal system has been extended and this means an outlay that is not available at the present time. It was hinted to-day that the 1nappropriated revenues said to be available from liquor licenses may turn up all right bye and bye and that an effort will be made to show the aldermen the wisdom of making a special appropriation from that ac- count for the extension of the police signal system and in this way put the police department in a position to meet any demand that may be made upon it. To some people this may appear all right, but it is safe to pre- dict that such a proposition, if ever brought before the aldermen, will meet with a stubborn resistance from some Of the members who believe that such unappropriated revenues as there may be available should remain where they are until they can be used as a resource for next year with a view to keeping down the rate of tax ation.