The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-14
Increase Shown in Money |e Collected in Recorders
 Court Fines
COMMISSIONER SAYS
 MOVIES BETTER NOW
City Is Waging Stringent Campaign Against Automobile Speeders-Big Increase Shown in Arrests
 for This Offense

Arlie Barber electrified the commissions CTS at the morning session by not making a formal address. In fact, he insisted at two minutes of o'clock that the morning session be brought to d close at the stroke of l.
 However, he held forth later. He sub mitted three detailed reports. In the first he called attention to the record of the police department for the past Is months. Next, he reported for the department during the past month. Then he read ex- cerpts from the report of Dr. Cecil D. Gaston. Contending that this was the ever submitted, he desired that it be placed among the city archives.
 This brought to his mind the sugges- ton that the term municipal surgeon supplant that of "city physician"
 After this brief statement he produced a detached page from theatrical paper in which it urged the moving picture producers to eliminate the turing sex problems and the nude pictures. q have noticed marked improvement in the pie lures that the motion picture houses of Birmingham have been offering" said MT. Barber. Furthermore, I am told that this improvement has been followed by better patronage"
 THE INSTALLMENT PLAN
 In the reports of the police depart ment, he emphasized three matters-the first, the popularity of the installment plan of fine payment, which he instituted in January, 1916. Since that time, $13,255. E has come into the treasury of the city from fines paid in this manner.
 The recorders courts, while not in- tended, as Mr. Barber stated, to be "a source of revenue" have been bringing much more money to the city. During January, total of s6.579,03 was paid into the comptroller as fines. For the corre- spending month of 1916, just s4,095 9 was derived from this source. The Ensley court had a remarkable increase. The comparative figures are: January 1917, ham recorders court was s1929 for 1917 and $1767 for 1916.
 Emphasized not less was the amount paid in fines after cases were appealed to the higher courts. Exactly $S763. 7S came from appealed fines. The amount paid during the past 16 months in fines was $S6,S g.
 The LnlfQ tendency that was Qr1Ven home was the increase in arrests for vio- lation of traffic ordinances and for speed ing. Comparing the January of 1917 with 1916, MT. Barber stated that 77 speeders had been arrested during the past Janu- ary, whereas only seven were appre hended during the same month of 1916. In the Ensley court none was haled be- fore the court in 1916 and seven in 19t7,
 FIGURES ON ARRESTS
 Traffic violators, 52 in number, were arrested during the past January, as compared with nine in 1916.
 Fewer arrests for being drunk were made in Birmingham during January, Si and 9S being the records, but Ensley had IS drunks during the past month and only IS in 1916.
 The figures on gaming during January are:
 Birmingham, 1916, 2o1; 1917, 15s. Ensley, 1916, II; 1917, 73
 For prohibition violations:
 Birmingham, 1916, 101; 1917, 107
 Ensley, 1916 8; 1917, 90. For street tax nonpayment: Birmingham, 1917, 15.
 Ensley. 1917. F.
 In addition to arresting persons who were held in the recorders courts, the police turned over to the sheriff 72 dur ing January. This was a decrease o1 eS inasmuch as 140 were delivered over to the sheriff during January, 1916 or warrant. However, Mir Barber stated ir answer to query, that the vigilance oi the department had been increased and the efficiency made greater.