The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-03
DON'T RELISH WORKING
 EXTRA 8 HOURS
Protests Likely About New Reserve System, Which
 Entails Extra Work.

Mysterious inquiries that reached the offices of the city clerk and the town clerk today indicate that the policemen do not like the prospect of reserve duty with the eight hour "snooze" at police headquarters pend ing an eight hour tour of duty. About noon today someone called the city clerks office and asked if there was a charter provision which limited the working hours of city employees to eight in each "A during the working day. The inquirer was told that there was no such charter provision but that the common council sometime ago adopted an ordinance limiting the working hours of city employees to eight in each 24 of a working day.
 Then how can the police commits sioners require patrolmen to work 16 hours or to be at police headquarters 16 hours?" was the next query of the man who had telephoned.
 Who is speaking?" asked the per- son who answered at the city clerks office.
 Viewer mind," replied the man. I'm a policeman or rather I'm in- terested in the policemen and I want Io Sce luSIl get d 1diT uedl. ooH think it is fair to work policemen, 6 hours on a stretch without giving them chance to rest, eat or drink. I don't think it can be done legally"
 When told he would be given no information unless he made known his identity. the man hung up the telephone receiver. Later in the day some man called the town clerks of flee and asked the same questions. He did not make known his identity but the report of his conversation does not indicate that he was the same man who called the city clerks office. The last man said he was talking from police headquarters.
 Inquiry at headquarters did not re- suit in any light as the identity of the
 men who made the inquiries. At headquarters it was said that none of the policemen had used the tele- phone to talk with any of the other city offices.
 The reserve system went into effect Thursday. Four men of the platoon, two working out of headquarters and one each from the Second and Third prescincts spend eight hours at head quarters before going on duty with their platoons. This makes three shifts each day in each 24 hours with four men on reserve there all the time. The men are really on duty or call for 16 hours at a stretch. The innovation does not meet with the favor of the rank and file of the de- partment, although most of the po- licemen are too wary of insubordina- ton charges to discuss the matter other than among themselves.
 Beds have been placed in the rooms formerly used for the women's deten- ton ward but the reserves do not use them because the rooms are so hot. They spend most of their time play ing cards down stairs.
 The man who telephoned last said
 he knew of recently appointed po- i liceman who had developed a chronic l case of Bright's disease because of | standing so long on the eight hour stretch which the policemen have heretofore been required to perform. i Inquiry at police headquarters dis closed that the only recently ap-
 pointed policeman on the sick list is ! Charles Mccullough. He is suffering
 from an infected toe, not Bright's disease, and it is expected he will re- port for duty this evening.