Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-25

SIDE. Of the city and In the District of CO.
lumoia there were elghty-seven towns and
villages. with an aggregate population OF
5000 Moreover, he said, Washington was
fhe most cheaply poiiced city OF its size
In the country, and according to the fig
ures. Its force was the most active IN maxi
ing arrests. From comparative statistics he
showed that the District of Columbia with
seventy square miles of territory and 323.-
600 of population. costs $4,000 for polio
ing, a cost of $if. G02 n square mile. In
the year he gave there had been 2a.543 ar
rests In the same year the policing OF
square mile, and there had been II I49 ar
rests; Detroit. with twenty-nine square
miles of territory to police, and a popula-
ton OF 10000, had cost $62T,255 TO police
at I.69S square mile. and there had
been S,eIS arrests. Milwaukee, with iwen-
ty-two square miles and a population of
3l2e0o. had cost to police SsS2.353, s16-
8f1 square mile, and there had been
5.GG6 arrests; Buffalo. with forty-two square
miles. had cost S7s1 Gt3 or S1S7So a square
mile, and there had been 1916 arrests.
The members of his force. the major said.
had been willing, loyal and true. and he
should feel that he had been ungrateful
to them for their devotion did he not urge
their immediate relief He had received the
suggestion of the Commissioners that the
revenues might not hold out at present for
an additional tax of S12to00 and so had
not urged that the increase In pay take i'm
mediate effect.
Mr.. Curry's Statistics.
Mr. Curry said at the morning session
that the only objection he had to the Com
missioners' bill was that 81 postponed the
increase of pay to the privates OF the force
from three to five years. He did not think
1t was fair. We need this increase imme-
diately,' he said The cost of living II,
tne District OF Columbia has been growing
hgher and higher during the past seven
or eight years. Mr.. Curry then Droduce5
statement made up from a set of books
kept by member or the metropolitan po-
nee since 1879, showing the comparative ex-
penseS IN thai year and at the present time
In the former year this man paid 500 20 a
month for house which now rents for
S2Z50, For groceries and provisions he maid
an average of $50 month in 1893. His
monthly expense for this one item at the
present time averages $50. His expense for
iuei IN the former year was So 30; now II
is si.30 His gas bill has remained about
.he same an average of So His laundry is
sf-oo month at the present time In 1890
his average uniform cost was 81. 10 n month
II Is now $511. And. In addition to this he
mas TO pay 81 a month to the pension fund
so the total monthly expenses of this Of
ncer IN 1899 were $50 %, while they are now
1921 or 1921 a month more than the
monthly pay in class one.
MI. Curry said there was absolutely no
doubt about the necessity for more nav
Tor the members of the force Tho men
mat unless some relief were given that
the personnel of the force would suffer
Young men who Joined the force had moth
ing to look forward to in the way of pro-
motion for ten eleven years Under
the present system it would take a man
fully that time TO reach class 2 which
after all, provides only a slight increase of
pay. Mr.. Curry said he did not appear to
argue the question or to go into its fine
points. but merely for the purpose of MAX
ing an earnest appeal to the committee for
immediate relief. I'VE want the relief
while we are living" he said
The Crossing Policemen.
Attorney Wilton J. Lambert o fthis city
was also heard by the committee yesterday
He said he represented the crossing police
me nand the special watchmen in the Dis
trict, and desired to protest against those
provisions of the commissioners bill which
give the Commissioners the power to dis
miss any member of this class of public
guardians without trial by the police hoard
Mr., Lambert said that up TO four or five
months ago an appeal to the Commission
ers from a decision of the trial board car
ried with 1t the right to be heard orally.
He then called the attention of the sub
committee 10 the case of Policeman Heyl
In which an oral hearing had not been
granted on the appeal from the trial
board decision, and in which the District
court granted a writ of mandamus Mr.
to get around this proposition, had incor-
porated IN the new police manual a pro
vision stating that while an appeal from
a trial board decision is admitted to ex-
list the Commissioners reserve the right to
require briefs for review instead of giving
an oral hearing on the appeal
Mr.. Lambert said very empha tcally that
II the regulations We're left in the form
that they are at present he was sure the
question at issue would find its way into the
District courts.
In reply to a question by Representative
Campbell as to the wisdom OF the Com
missioners judgment being final, Mr.. Lam
bert said that however this might be he
certainly did not think that the Commits
sioners should have the power to increase
the punishments meted out by the trial
board.
Commissioner West said that only once in
fifteen years had the Commissioners In
creased a penalty imposed by the trial
beard. Hiatt was in the Heyl case. On the
other hand, penalties were often decreased.
Only the other day, he said the board rec
commended the dismissal of an officer, but
Commissioner West read the testimony
thoroughly and could not see ii that way.
On another occasion. a short time ago he
had an officers fine reduced from 800 to
so ny re-referrlng his case to the trial
board.