Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-08

wv Inc CITY mas now crown 10 popu-
lation OF upwards Of 2S00o0 Conditions
in the Jail are deplorable. At the most
l25 persons were to be accommodated.
AT the present time the Jail has 10
answer for the accommodation of 300.
Under those conditions Il Is almost im-
possible to Keep II i'm sanitary condl-
tion. Discomforts of the prisoners are
many; In fact there Is actual suffering.
The office part of the building is
equally inadequate. They are crowded,
and officers are hampered In their work.
Desks are under stairways and In
closets. Recently the board of public
works caused an examination Of the
building with view of remodeling it.
Report of the architects was to the
effect that money spent that way would
be wasted.
The site Of the present Jail has stead
lily increased in value. With the new
tunnel projects under way the land
should sell at a big figure. The money
received from the sale would go a great
way toward construction of Jail suit
able for q city of 500, 900 population.
steps should be taken at the earliest
practicable moment to arrange for the
sale of the present site and the purchase
of new one, and a building erected to
serve as Jail. police headquarters and
city court building. The present central
station is so small that it has been
necessary to hire quarters outside for
an assembly hall and drill room. The
building should be of sufficient dimen-
sions to save this expense.
My Investigations convince me that
this change should be made before an
other winter comes. For that reason
urge your honorable body to act with
all possible haste.
Prisoners Barracks Favored
It has been suggested, and the sug-
gestion has my approval that a prison-
ers' barracks be established. Such bar
racks would afford relief from the pres
ent demand upon accommodations Of
the Jail and would locate prisoners
nearer their field of labor. The "chain
gang" system has been a success in Los
Angeles, so much so that 1t is impor-
tant that work be found for prisoners
to do.
To get the work done in the right
place is a problem 1 am working out.
There is a vast amount of work, road
building, to be done in Griffith park.
This is one of the largest parks in the
west and park which should be laid
out in beautiful drives Convict labor
can be used to great advantage in the
building of driveways. With barracks
located in the park, and the chief of
police sending only the long term
prisoners there the city can derive i'm
measurable benefit.
l respectfully urge your honorable
body to give immediate attention to the
erection Of barracks of temporary
nature to make room for prisoners
who will overcrowd the old Jail while
a new one Is being constructed.
New territory recently annexed and
more in the southern and western part
OF the city which will doubtless soon
be annexed, will make necessary the re-
districting of the city and the building
of additional sub-stations. Plans for
the policing of this territory are now
being considered.
Two gasoline motor patrol wagons
are needed, one for the central and
the other for the University station.
The standard of efficiency OF the po-
lice department is being raised and the
department is being rapidly put on a
metropolitan basis. While the number
of patrolmen is being increased as fast
as appropriations will permit, there is
stlll need of much larger force There !
is an urgent demand for more men in
the residential sections. where the linn
lted number has experienced difficulty
IN coping with the thieving class. When
the finances of the city permit your
honorable body should set apart suffi-
cient funds for proper policing of resi-
Dental sections and to bring the serv-
ice up to that existing in the business
portions of the city.
Public Library
An American city is judged as much
by its educational facilities as by its
buildings. The public library is second
only to the public schools in educational
value. not only to us, but TO the class
of citizens we wish TO attract our Ii |
~ n N-O1 ;e 1T l.;
being about fourteenth in size among /
all the public libraries of the United |
States, and at the very front in ac- |
tivity and efficiency. For more than
thirty-four years it has engaged the |
best efforts of many of our best citi- |
Zens, and its use by the public is enor-
mous-more per capita than in any 9TH
er city in the Union. II has almost as
many active members as the total en-
rollment of pupils in our great public |
schools and is patronized by nearly !
3CG0 people day. 1t is used for study |
and recreation by all clesses Of men, !
women and children, our grade and
high schools and college students, |
teachers, professors and business men,
our active women's clubs our special
lists, and is great attraction to our
visitors. II is not only a source of
pride, but an actual asset to our city.
size have already given their smaller
libraries fine public buildings While
we have more than our share of urgent
civic problems, We should no longer
neglect this fundamental Lne. For sew
enteen years the library was crowded
and unsafe in the city hall. Within the
year it has been moved to a fireproof
building, which will give it sufficient
space for three or four years. But the
city should have its own building, now
that the decision of the supreme court
solves the problem of site by making
Central park availabls.
The average rental of the present
quarters for five years would pay per
cent interest on practically a $500, 600
bonded Indebtedness. Three hundred
thousand dollars will not build a IL
brary sufficient for city as this even
six years hence. The park must not be
swallowed up, and we should not spend
our money on one story Grecian tenn
pies. nor on plinths and Dorlc columns. |
A first-class, fireprOof business struc- |
ture, severely simple, but beautiful in /
its lines, and fully adapted TO the re-