The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-08
N this way prevent fraud ana


\ Fire Department.
q The Board oil Fire Commissioners re,-
y ports that tile department. lss lr an excellent
n amouiitcd 10 sl6lsS2,G3. most OF (which wcro
a covered BY insurance There are 1G5 officers
h and mon. and tho pnyrollsw was Sl2e, 1850. and
an Increased appropration 70 s.ss,tivas ASK
q $4,000 4 now engine mouse has been built
4 on Twcnty-fifth street No. Engines House
on Cary between Mint, nnd Tenth ~, streets
las been renodeled. hook and ladder
truck company. With captain ana I'VE men,
has been Installed In tho ergino.h onse ~
1.-THE corner OF 1wenty-eishth anu $ streets,
4 been purchased. rho underground cable
system has been extended to Engino- House
No s III Fulton. ind improvements maids
I'm tho signal system. One man. Charles A..
burbank, "a faithful and nrst.class fireman
! In every Particular died from exhaustion
1 whto In the discharge OF his duty, and ten
Msa were injured during i,a year. he
that allsthc members OF the department arc
faithful and their moral conduct excellent.
The officers made 32,5<s inspections OF public
again recommends the city tug be equipped
with a fire pump to protect the shipping
zEntid property along the river front.
4 Work OF Police.
4 The Chief OF Police reports that there
| werc 301 moro arrests and $40 more ordi-
nance Violations reported stHdn curing tho
1 preceding year. The total arrests made wcrc
\ o. 10: ordinance violations reported, 5,1V..
| These figures. While stattstically corrcct.iar
misleading. x statement which would lead
| TO the belief that during tho past year n, !.
to92 persons, or 1?h per cent. OF our popua-
ton, had been arrested. or brought beforp
the court for violations of The law, wotfld
| be dscreditablc to tho orderly s1id law
liabiding people of our city AS u fact, how
ever OF the 1900 persons arrested, 1t Is be-
i.eved that not more than 1000 individuals
were represented, and OF the o'l02 violations
OF ordinances reported, $3.50 were for fail
! urc to obtain licenses to keep dogs, etc. In
some OF these cases, especially in cases OF
I.drlnkcnencss and disorderly conduct, It Is
] known that the same individuat has been
arrested as many as fifteen times during tho
year. but each arrest goes TO make up the
aggregate. Some means should be adopted
by which the number OF individuals could be
reported Many OF these arrests are for
VERY trivial offcnsos. and perhaps 40 per
cent. Of them arc dismissed by tho court
Increase In Force.
But the number of arrests and reports for
violations OF ordinances will $continuesto in
crease as long the fec system for mag
istrntes prevails and tho number OF arrests
and violations OF ordinances reported are
mado tho test of merit by which tho eff
cheney OF policeman Is rated. Police
mon and magistrates are conscrvators OF the
peace and their first dutyeis 10 prevent the
| commission OF ofenses and TO settle dis
putes which may lead to disorder.
Tie Chief strongly urges an increase OF
the force, and this will DO necessary very
soon, IL not Mt this time Some Of the men
are old and have served tho city faithfully
for n generation. and much time Is lost be-
cause OF their infrmi.ies and for various
other reasons. The loss OF time last year
was s,eS5 days. the exact equivalent Of the
absence of nine men every day during the
year.
ing ten new signal service boxes. and q now
switch board at an estimated cost OF $4,000.
Tho detective department recovered prop
erty3 OF the value Of Sls,e21lo.
Public Schools.
Tho report of the city School Board Is fol
the scholastic year 1869, ending In June
last. Tho total enrolment was 1e.5S0-whites
1917, coiored 5.4ia-an increase Of ss with
an average daily attendance of 400, an in
crense OF ia5. There are 36S teachcrs-white
aes. coored sS-who received total OF SAL
aries amounting to S2ls.6SAes, an increase OF
sloo49:6 Tho averass pay Of teaehers was
1926 each for the session. Tho costs OF
tuition per capita. including interest on
value OF school property was 5000. me
total appropriation by the city for build
ings improvements and maintenance OF the
public schools was 5W.993i2
The night schools have been very success
full, showing an Increase in attendance OF
ga, and tho kindersartens are doing fine
work. DR.. NJ. d. Hoge. Jr.. Jealous mem
Der OF the board. has devoted much OF his
time to the necessary medical examination
OF pupils. More attention is being siven
to calisthcnics and exercise, and the ply
steal condition of the children Is carefully
guarded. Mcssrs. John s. ana \. ~, Har,
College to the girl who graduates in the
High school with the highest honors
Soon after the close OF the scholastic year
William Il. Fox, who had been the able and
faithful Superintendent OF the Public
Schools for over twenty years. went to his
reward. He was succeeded by Dr. \. e.
Chandler, an eminent educator ana accom-
complshed gentleman. under whose admin
istration the public schools VIII progress.
and. 1t is believed. will be raised TO sun
higher standard. Tho Council should make
an adequate appropriation for the mme-
date repair and preservation of the 'John
Marshall Home This building. the resi-
dence for many years of ono who was close
~ identified with the city in his early life
as a member OF the City Council, Alderman
and Recorder, and who afterwards became
eminent as a legislator and minister. and
was the most eminent jurlst TINS country
has produced. should be preserved as a per-
petual reminder OF that great man. ana as
one OF the most valuable assets OF inc cl.y
City Attorney.
On January ]. 1909, there We're slxty-nine
suits and appeal cases pending in the courts
to which the city was party. and thirty
nino suits and eighteen appeals have been
entered or taken during the year.
sixty-Ave of these cases were decided.
twenty-six in favor of the city and twenty {,
FIVE adversely, leaving scyenty-one sun
pending. These suits and Appeals !. are ~
Court OF Appeals and Federal courts. and
often Involve intricate questions. The time
OF tho City Attorney and OF his assistant -
fully employed in protecting the Legal
rights OF the city. and In the discharge OF
the many other duties dcyolving upon ,tncH.
During the year several !mportantsan ana long
pending suits have been. determined.
Among them that OF the Western Union
Telegraph Company vs.. the city@oi Rich.
mond, then pending in the circuit court OF
the United States. In this suit the llnpor-
tunt question OF tho validity. Of an ordl-
nance of the city which req utred the tee->
graph company to place Its wires UNDER
ground in certain sections OF the city. was
involved. Judge Gof held that the require
mcnt was a lawful texerefse Of power py the
Council. and decided every material point
In favor Of the city. Tho case viii propaply
60 to tho supreme Court on az peal py the
telegraph company.
DISTINCTIONS to Streets
A decision of the Supreme Court o. Ap
peals OF Virginia, rendered several years
ago, In which 1t was held, In enect, tha
justice Of tho peace had no jurisdictlon 70
try case involving cncroachment upon
or the occupancy OF land when me deiehu-
ant asserted a bona fde claim or TUG 20
the land. has long caused muoh t 70 a,I
structions removed from the streets. ! no |
City Attorney again brought up the cues 1ei,,
ton for review in tho Supreme Gou ". s, ~