Norwich bulletin., 1919-10-13
LESS SUSPICIOUS FIRES
 IN STATE DURING YEAR

Special attention will be paid to the work of county and city sealers or report of Thomas F. Egan state seal CT, who is also superintendent of the state police department The seaier of weights and measures report Is al ways incorporated in the annual re- port of the department and this year the work of the sealers has been gone In1o iIT1re thoroughly than in the past Superintendent Egan said that ne would give out no information con- cerning this phase of his annual re- port this year but that when the re- port is made up the fiscal year ending on Oct 30, there will be something in it about sealers''
 It has been said about the capitol that an investigation was being made by he state police department as to whether or not the sealers were doing their work as they should. but at the office of the state sealer nothing would be said concerning this. It is known, however, that Charles A. Fine, deputy state sealer of weights and measures, has been in several coun- ties and towns conducting an invesri- gation. and on his trips was accom- panied by a member of the state po- lice department.
 There were not so many suspicious fires reported to the state police de- partment for the fiscal year of 1918- 1919, as there were during the year
 
 reported for the year just closing were found. after an investigation by members of the department to have been caused by natural causes as two cases in East Berlin on the night of July 3. A lumber yard caught fire. causing several thousands of dollars loss. and house some distance away in the same town got blazing at the same time. A sSy-rocket caused the lumber yard fire, the state police dis " accidental, sld not of incendiary origin, at first thought.
 The total number of fires in the state will not come up to the number in which property loss or damage Oc- cured were reported to the depart ment by local fire marshals. and from first selectmen acting as fire marshals. The losses during 1917-191S amounted to s2.2SO.554 but the 191S-1919 loss will be smaller it was said.
 One item particular interest in the report this year will be the amount of stolen property restored 10 it's owners. Last year the amount was s5,097 Of which s3,5oo was prop erty stolen from the railroads. and S1,591 in stolen tires located by the state police and returned. During the past year. however. the amount of stolen goods recovered through activ- ities of the state police will reach sum more than triple that of last year, particularly in stolen automobiles. Thousands Of dollars worth of auto mobiles were stolen in Connecticut during the last few months. and Chief Esan and his aides have been kept busy getting after the auto thieves.
 The department has put in a stren- uous year, and has investigated cases where considerable work was needed only to discover that no crime was committed at all. The expenses of the department amount to a consid era ble sum each year because of this fact. sometimes members of the de- partment being sent to remote sec tions of the state to learn that the complaint in the first place was not warranted.
 The receipts and disbursements for 191S1919 will exceed those of the previous year. the amount received from the state treasurer last year was s50.914.63. and the amount paid in sal aries was s20 012.71 The 1919 session of the legislature, realizing the eff cient work of the state police, in creased the salary of the members of the department. The superintendent was raised from s3.50o to s4000, the