Norwich bulletin., 1909-08-07


| demand the increase, nor do they
| threaten to strike if it is not forth
| coming so in any event the city is
not threatened to lose police protection.
| The cops held a business session some
where and selected a delegation to
| present their request to the police
committee of the court of common
council. An increase from $40 to rs
| a month Is asked for the patrOlmen
| which is equivalent to $3.50 a day,
! with an extra days service thrown in
| where there are 81 days in the month.
| with proportionate increase in the
| pay of the lieutenant and captain
which would make that Of the latter
/ $1,000 a year. or the same as is paid
| the chief engineer
| The, police delegation mas handed the
| committee data showing that the local
! force is net as well paid as other cities
! in the state and, on the whole the
proposition seems reasonable, for the
service of a policeman who really does
least $3.50 a day or night, as the case
may b.. \ cclnpctent police earns
ever cent of 'he salary he receives.
There is chance, however, to improve
the service of any police force, even
the finest in any city, not excepting
even New York. So If the pay of the
New London police is increased the
, responding increase in the general eff
| cheney of the service rendered. It
would be an opportune time to
make some radical changes, that would
result in better discipline, better ser
! vice. which would be more satisfactory
to the policemen and the people who
! pay the freight. There certa ainly is
room for improvement in the general
conduct of the local police department,
which is fully as efficient as many
| others. but there is chance for i'm =
provement just the same.
The annual convention of the State
| Firemen's association will be held in
New London next Tuesday and We'd
nesday. and the committee represent
ing the several companies of the de-
partment are planning to give the Wis
iting delegates q true, fraternal fire.
mems reception. The committee is
encouraged in their preparatory work
| by the appropriation of 5000 authorized
! by the court Of common council There
| will be a general decoration Of the
buildings, and the store windows will
be filled with relics appropriate to the
occasion, some of which will be ex-
| hibited in public for the first time. In
addition to- the general and official
reception. the eight volunteer COM
| panies will have open house" to the
visitors from the time the first delegate
arrives and until after his departure.
The visitors will leave New London
with a good impression of the city, and
will ever refer with pleasure to the
whole-souled. generous hospitality of
| the volunteer firemen OF New London.
Although the citizens of New London
in city meeting assembled voted that
| the present city hall building should
be remodeled and enlarged at a cost
not to exceed $4,000, Mayor Benjamin
| L. Armstrong has declared that there
will be nothing doing in that line dur
ing his term of office, which ends early
in October. At the August meeting
of the august body known as the court
of common council. ex-Mayor Tinker,
chairman of the special committee on
proposed enlargement of the city hall,
made report, which was accompanied
by plans of Architect Sweeney with
estimated cost of $4,000.
The mayor. having converted his
former ordinary residence into a man
sion, and bought. removed and rebuilt
more houses than any other resident,
not excepting Mayor B. F. Mahan,
who is a close second, evidently con-
siders that he is some pumpkins in
the architect business. He stated
frankly that the construction of the
it Guild no1 be enlarged without sari-
fcing all rules known to architecture
and, furthermore that the work con-
templated could not be accomplished
within the estimate of the professional
| architect who planned the new and
beautiful Harbor schooIhouse the pa
rochial school. the Thomas Hose house
and other semi-public buildings, and
the r. c. Morris and other fine resi-
dences.
Mayor Armstrong declared that he
was opposed to the proposed changes
in the present city hall at the outset.
and that his position in that respect
had MOI changed. Therefore nothing
would be done while he was mayor of
the city in this matter. ff h4 could
PREVENT as he did not want this al
legged Improvement credited to his ad-
| ministration.
The report Of the committee COM
posed of ex-Mayor Tinker. ex-Gov.
T. M. Waller and George S. Palmer
was accepted with thanks by the coun-
ell. and the architects plans and rec
concentrations to the committee will
be considered at a special meeting of
the court of common council.
Ex-Mayor George r. Tinker 10 one
Of Nav london's most conservative,
honest and public spirited citizens, and
with many years experience in the
court of common council, has ever
since his early life taken active part
in municipal matters, and is therefore
considered authority on matters public
in city affairs.
For the past three years. or since
B. l.. L. Armstrong has been mayor of
the city the local newspapers, some of
| them. have been teeming with editorial
and local comment and office written
! letters, in general condemnation of
the present administration and the
wretched condition of the streets. So
much so, that unobserving readers OF
newspaper are led to believe that the
gentlemen composing the court of
common council are a lot of grafters
and that the money Appropriated for
streets is graft.
Ex-Mayor Tinker. however, and who
is no Special friend politically to Mayor
Armstrong, does not agree with news
paper statemen ts concerning the con-
dition of the streets. At the council
me ettng last Monday night. in his talk
to the aldermen. Mr. Tinker said that
the streets, of New London were never
in as good condition as they are at
present, that the appropriations had
been judiciously expended, and that
the present administratien was enti-
tied to the credit for the work that
had been done in the general inn
provement of the streets. Mr. Tinker.
as usual spoke advisedly and what he
said was based upon careful and per-
sonal observation. AS usual, Mr.. Tin
ker is right. Therefore, the published