Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-11-09

City scrip has taken another dum-
BILE downward, ana employees of the
city government nave been thrown
into state bordering upon conster-
nation. Especially is this true OF the
police department, which is having
difficulty in getting their paper turn
ed into cash at any price, owing prin-
cipally to the stringency of money
matters here just now. The best offer
made for the police departments
scrip this month is said to be S5 cents
on the dollar, which is a decline OF
about six cents from last months
price. 1t is said that one OF the banks
of the city positively refused to
handle the scrip at any price.
The stringency of the Pine BluH
money market just now is believed
to be more responsible for the pres
ent Price of scrip than anything else.
Scrip itself should be worth its usual
price, so say the city financiers; but
for month or more past the local
hanks have had considerable difficulty
in securing sufficient money to con-
duct the financial affairs of the city.
And Just now, when great sums OF
money are required in handlin" the
cotton crop, money matters are tlght-
or than ever, and the banks declare
thav ran not spare the money tor
handling city scrip.
The result of the whole matter is
hat the city's employees, especially
the police department, have been
thrown into confusion bordering upon
CONSERVATION. There are members O.
the police department who are solely
dependent upon their salaries for the
daily meat and bread. and some o.
them have families to support. They
say they were getting small enough
salaries when city scrip was selling at
81 cents. which 1t did for many
months. Now that it has taken anoth-
G.; tumble, with little disposition on
the part of the banks to handle it at
all. they have been placed in a critical
situation, and fears are entertained
that unless some relief is afforded by
the city council at once the police
department will be demoralized by the
RESERVATIONS Of the men. Some OF
them are in positions to tide them ov-
er the present stringency. but the
most of then. are not. especially when
il is considered that next month they
NAV fail in getting their scrip cashed
at all.
Chief AL. Stewart declines to dis
cuss the matter for publication. but 1t
l., learned from another source thai
he is entertaining grave fears OF the
decentralization Of his department un-
less afforded Immediate relief by the
council, which will meet again In reg
MAR session next Monday night.
The concensus of public opinion
among those who are conversant WIN
the financial affairs of the city seems
tf, he that the city pay roll should be
placed upon cash basis. While talk
for some time has been INDUCED IN
relative to putting the police depart
raort on a cash basis, it is pointed o"C
that if this is done the fire department
and ether employees of the city wouio
have to be placed on the same basis
as matter of common justice as II
would not do for the city fathers 10
show partiality in the matter.
In support of the contention that
this should be done, so far as the po-
Ice departent is concerned, it is point
ed out that that department OF the
oity's government has never yet fail
ed to bring in more than sufhclent
revenue for the payment Of the de-
rartment's payroll, since Chief OF Po-
lice Stewart has been in charge. And
this is true. even of the exceedingly
du'l months of the late lamented quar-
antine
There are those who contend that
the city government should set apart
a "police fund" if necessary, to rectl-
fy this wrong: but there are strong
objections offered to this, as showing
q partiality for that one department.
and the objectors to this procedure
say that the city should make COM
plete reformation in the handling or
is emploves by putting them all on a
cash basis One thing may be consld
cred a certainty Unless this Is done
the police department, for one, VIII
,,ea some of it's best men in the
coure of tine, for they can not anord