Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-12
Especial to rho Bulletin.)-

Especial to The EBulletin.) J..
 New London. Ju'.. 1.-The New T.oadon-court Of common council, even is- the abseIlce Of Alderman Commits -S.oaer Cha pDeIl, chairman of the po- lice committee. at the July meeting added another laurel to its liberalty the pubItc cx4,e1ze and Increased the salar=es of the members of that qluch-raligred- and severely criticis- ed spolice department. It was. some raise at that. fully as high as the .-y-sr-tin7e pay in intuition plants and .-aipva rd<- The policernen now work i7 eight=hour shifts, have a day off a week and two weeks vacation a wear with pay and when retirement comes half pay for the rest of their lives With Increased pay there ought to. he increased efficiency in. service. In ad d;tion to more nay the policemen are <iIs-anteed steady jobs and cock-sure pay. The salaries are: Captain. $50 a month; lieutenant. sf5s;- sergeant, four of them. s13o each; and patro1- men. $125. It's nice to be policeman in New London; much, better. than be- ing the ice man.
 The policemen having been recos- njzed in the distribu ton of the pub lie money, perhaps it is about time that the paid drivers Of motor fire apparatus receive little attention in the pay-raising line. They are the only ones that have been omitted in the general increase in pay Of, off cfals ana employees or the clLy. mere are two of them on duty in each fire house and between them they divide twenty four hours day. seven days week. have no time off. not even a vacation. and no pair of these drivers gets as much a month as is handed ever to an officer of the police de- partment
 The city receives. twenty four hours day from each pair of these driv CTS, yet they seem to he in the dis card when the raise of pay is being considered by the members of the court of common council. This is ne wonder, however. as the members of the council have made no more to get pay for service they are supposed to render the city. However, the mem besr of the council do not devote all their time to city affairs but the ap paratus drivers do. for that is their employment, their means of livelihood.
 Alderman cragan fires hot shot sometimes during debate in the coun- eil. his chief hobby being matters pertaining to the fire department. baS- ed on his knowledge of the depart Haent, on his long membership as member and officer of the F. l.. Allen Hook and Ladder company. Even AL dernaan Tom has not made a murmur for the increase in the pay of the driv- CTS. He told at the last meeting of the council of the chairman of the committee running the department to suit himself and ignoring the other members of the committed including the alderman himself He told of things that had been done and had been left undone by the committee. and all that sort of thing attacked the action of former members in the matter of purchase of fire apparatus, fire masks and so on: declared there was an efficient department SO far to the show. and not the insurance the tools" to fight fires. But not a word for more pay for the drivers.
 AIdesrnan Cragan struck a popular note when he announced that the peo- pie of Ney I4oIdon were competent to conduct it's own affairs without the i1- tervention of the Boston men who propose to raise the insurance rates unless New London dishands its pres ert efficient volunteer fire department. substitute a~-Paid department. build new fire q hou ses-7e buy. additional ap- paratus. conduct the department as they dictate. and lay new water ser expense. This threat in view of the fact that the fire loss per capita in New London in 1919 was lower than any other city per ca Dita in the Unit ed States. with single exceptionl The insu-ance cou1bire is the greatest o1 earth, not executing. the Barnum and Bailey aggregation. Man wears The great original and only Phineas T. the greatest snowman then on tearth. said that the public liked to he mbugeed He hed eDeciaI rafe-erce fo the show. and not the insurance business.
 While the court of common council is busted raising salaries nd bond ing the city 10 the limit it is sur prising that some member does not side track q couple Of hundred or less for a lung motor at Ocean beach to