Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-03-22

Bmdmg Inspector Connolly says he
believes the Police Department has made
a wise move in having the members of
the force take "a new census of the city,
,,bieb work is TO be started on April ID,
aUeek after moving day. 10 was through
Mr. Connolly Is efforts that the Police De
nlrment took up the matter He wrote
Ia the department on the subject twice,
hi. last letter being as follows.
Board of Police Commissioners, Viii
minpton, Gentlemen. | would like
10 draw your attention again TO the ne
ce.sity of having the police take a census
OF the city OF Wilmington. Prompted by
local pride and by looking up the sta
tisticts at my office, / feel that it is my
duty TO ask you to perform this arduous
task
As our city has had such a phenomenal
growth within the last five years, and
ss the government has made pro-
portionate census and has given US an
Increase of 4,OO0 / think it is unfair
that we should be counted as a city of
10000 inhabitants when / firmly believe
that our population is upwards OF 10000.
I take this stand Of basing our increased
population upon the number of dwellings
that have been erected in this city within
the last five years, as compared with the
number of dwellings erected within the
preceding five years. From the lst of
July. 1895, until the 30th of June, 1900
there were erected in the city 774 dwell
lings at a total cost Of S2,S007S6; from
ihe lst of July, 1900, until the Both OF
June. 1905, there were erected l,73O
dwellings at total cost Of S6,904299.
With the number of dwellings built fol
the corresponding five years, more than
double, and as dwellings are scarcer now
than at any time in the history of the
ritv. and as apartment houses have only
been known within the last five years, il
seems only plausible to me that the popu-
lation OF the city has increased more with
no the first five years Of this decade by
three times than the amount OF the in
crease OF the last five years OF the las
decade.
You will readily see from these figures
which are absolutely correct, that viii
such a rapid growth in building, and th'
growth is Just as rapid in population, anC
ss your department has the only oppor
tnity to make a correct and authenti
census which will 90 on record as BON
hde and correct, 1t Is up TO you to see tina
TINS very important work is DONE
Il is a duty, in my opinion, you owe Il
the city; it is a duty you owe to our mer
chants and business men; it is also a dut,
YOU owe to yourselves to prove to tn
public in general and verify the state
ment in Chief Black S report which re
spectfully asks for more patrolmen.
Upon this census you could base you
reasons for going to the Legislature or u
City Council and asking for an increases
police force. On this census you can shol
to the public the large population within
the city limits and the meagre police fore
by which it is protected We are gettin
to be a city of large proportions, and / d
not think that with such a rapid increas
we should sit back for 10 years an
wait for the United States government {
tell us how large we are. 1t remains wit
YOU three gentlemen to do this or leave
undone but if you possess as much locl
pride as your humble servant, you vi
have this work done Immediately.
Hoping am not asking too much, a.
Yours very truly,
William NJ. Connolly,
Building Inspecto