The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-20
FACTS ON CITIES
Census Department Issues Sta
tistics of municipalities.
Many Cities Adopt Prohibition
and Commission Government.
INCLUDES TOWNS OVER 80, 900
More Than Half Have Munich
pal WaterwOrkS.
Civil Service for Policemen Is
Becoming Popular.
INCLUDES TOWNS OVER 30, 900


Washington. D. c., Dec. 20.-The
commission form of government is in
effect in 81 of the 2O4 cities of over
$4,000 inhabitants. Civil service regu-
lations are applied to the appointment
of policemen in 122 such cities, lnclud-
ing all these of more than 100000 in
habitants.
PoIicewomen are employed IN 20
cities. Municipal prohibition prevails
in is cities state prohibition in Il, ana
county and parish prohibition IN .. IN
Is cities certain saloons are hcehseu
to sell malt liquors only These are d
Few of the significant and interesting
facts which will be brought out IN
report under the title OF genera ga a
tistics of Cities, 1918, TO pc lsSueu III
the near future by Director sam L.
Rogers of the Bureau of the census
Department of Commerce, ana com
niIed under the direction OF MI
Starke NJ. Grogan, chief statlshclah Aol
statistics of cities
Commission Form of Government.
The commission form of government
now prevails in no fewer than 81 o.
me 964 cities estimated to have 5U,UOO
inha bitants or more IN 1919. AheSc
.itjes are scattered throughout 70
states in addition to the Dlstrlct oI
Columbia ranging from Massac I5.'t
to Washington and from south caro-
I'M
in New England, p in other northern
states between the Mississippi and the
Pacific coast states, IN the I acAAi0
coast states and "a in the South
The largest city at present operating
under the commission form OF govern
ment is New Orleans, whose popuIa--
tion is estimated at about Soo,OVV, put
RuffaIo. with a population OF ABOUT
1e0 900 has recently voted to IN
augurate this system on January l.
1916. Next in order are Wtsii 1850 >
d. c.. with nearly 35O'ooU lnha aeo 900
Portland, Greg, with about ~ ~ 'oo0'
and Denver, with about 29o'ouo'
The Size Varies.
In these cities the commissions
range in size from three 10 seven
members each; those in san Diego,
cal. and Fort Worth, Tex. SIX each'
and that in Huntington, W. W. four'
All the other commissions are com
posed of either three or five meHlpG ,
the great majority having 1Ne- Inc
salaries paid municipal commissioners
range from $500 a year in Jacks sou
Mich. and Springfield, Ohio, to .OOO
a year in Birmingham, Ala ana tnelr
terms of office vary from one 10 IouA
years ., -
five members, which decides matters
of general policy, and city Inan-
aEer," appointed by the commission
who looks after the administrative
work. The presiding officer of the
commission receives $500 per annum
the other members $1,000, and the
city manager $12, 500.
The larger cities still cling 10 the
older form of government by mayor
and council. In all, 123 cities of over
10000 including all having more than
100000 inhabitants, are governed IN
this manner. The mayors salaries
range from 500 per annum in Flint,
Mich. to S15.0 900 in New York, ana
their terms of office from one TO TOUR
years.
Police Departments.
A total of 51,045 police officials, pa |
trolmen detectives, and civilian en-
ployees are engaged in the work OF
maintaining peace and order IN the
204 cities.
those of san Francisco, who are I'M
graded and receive $1,464 per annuIn,
and the lowest Misunderstanding
those in the lower grades in Few cit |
ies-are in williamsport, Pa, where
patrolmen are ungraded and receive
S756 per annum-
The most common length of daily |
shift ar tour is eight hours. but in
some cities it is considerably greater
In IL cities there are two daily tours
of 2 hours each. In all but OF the
cities the night force is equal to or
greater than the day force. In 10
cities there are short periods during |
the day in which patrolmen are |
on duty. In several cases these gaps
between tours are two hours in length,
are no patrolmen on their beats or
posts between 4 a m. and S:45 a. m. |
Methods of appointment.
Public interest in the efficiency of
police departments is doubtless re-
sponsible for the fact that no fewer |
than 122 of the 204 cities of 10000 |
and over, including all those of more |
than 800. 900, apply civil service regu- |
lations to the appointment of police |
men, 1876 provide some form of retire |
ment and pension system, and a still |
larger number prescribe age, height, |
and weight limits In 30 cities retired |
employees receive half the salary they |
were drawing at the time of retire. |
fnent A number or other cities pay
a fixed compensation amounting to as |
much or more than this, while still |
others employ sliding scale based on |
length of service.
Police Women.
Police women are now employed in |
20 cities. Chicago has 21; Baltimore, |
Los Angeles, and Seattle each; |
I ttsburg. 4; San Francisco, Portland.
Ore, and St. Paul, each; and Dayton, |
Ohio, Topeka, Kan, and Minneapolis, !
Mimi, . each. Fifteen other cities
have 1 each. Their pay ranges from
1925 per annum in Dayton to $1,000
Regulating Liquor Traffic.
Prohibition by state law prevails in
II cities of $4,000 and over-4 each
in Georgia and Tennessee. in Kan
sas. each in Oklahoma and West
Virginia. and L each in Maine and |
North Carolina. Municipal prohibit |
ton is in effect in is cities-S in |
Massachusetts,, each in Illinois and
California, and each in Pennsyl- |
vania. Iowa and Washington. County |
prohibition has closed the saloons in |
, Michigan cities and parish prohibi- |
ton has closed them in l Louisiana |
CITY. There are thus 35 cities in which |
total prohibition prevails In addition, |
there are 81 in Ohio, 2 in Colorado |
and 1 each in Pennsylvania and Illi- |
nois-in which partial prohibition is |
in effect through the operation of |