New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-13
Special Police
Urged to Halt
Z llr' Robberies
President of Wholesalers
Association Declares the
Ihefss From Members Ex-
coed $4,000 Each Week
Assails Few Convictions
Three Arrests Made Recent
w by Private Detectives
Engaged as Extra Patrol

Organization Of special force of
detectives or plainclothes men, to cope
with the increasing number of thefts
in the wholesale fur district of Man
haitian, was urged yesterday by j. ii.
Bleistein, president of the New YORK
Fur Merchants Association. Mr.. blei"
stein said that while he did not want
TO convey the impression that the reg
ular police were not on the job, ne
cemed it time for the members OF the
association to take action. The lar
ceny of furs from the wholesale deal
ers alone average, in excess of $4,000
or $4,000 a week, he declared.
By way of experiment, Mr.. Bleisteln
said. the Fur Merchants Association
several weeks ago engaged detective
sgency to patrol the district between
Twentv-fourth and Thirty-slxth
streets, in the vicinity of Seventh Ave
nte. In the last week three arrests
have been made by the two operatives,
indicating, Mr. Bleisteln SAID, tha1
such force as that proposed would
prove extremely valuable IN catcning
the. thieves. not. only IN eon nm s;Sn
with the fur business. but IN the SILK,
cotton and other textile trades here.
Aid of Other Trades Urged
8ieistein expressed the hope that the
Silk Association, the Association Fur
Manufacturers, the American fur
Dealers Association and other allied
organizations would see mt to recog,
nize the Importance of the plan and
cooperate with the Fur Merchants AS
ISOLATION. The financial outlay would
be negligible, compared to the extent
of the thefts and the total amount OF
business transaced each year, he SAID;
One of the functions of the special
police force would be to find out VINO
the men are who continually hang
around the wholesale fur district and
what is their business Another
would be to find out what disposition
is made of the goods stolen.
Mr.. Bleistein said the periodic IN
vestigations conducted by the assocla-
ton had demonstrated that 1T IS not
difficult to intercept some OF the
thieves, but that, on the other hand,
there had been very few arrests ane
still fewer convictions, due to lack OF
evidence or identification, and ease
with which the prisoners have been
able to obtain bail and then disappear
Arrests Usually An Accident
"We have reason to pc disappoinec"
when such crimes are repeatedly com
mitted-shere are more small tne1's
this wear than last-and we never hear
of any enc going to jail for these OIL
lenses" said Mr.. Bleistein. ut is usu-
allv bv accident that we catch q per-
son suspected of theft. We are con-
tinually getting information that per
sons under suspicion are still acting as
fences for the disposal of the stolen
goods.
"There are many cases where people
won't bother the Police Department by
reporting the thefts because 1T seems
absolutely hopeless. Oftimes the the1ts
are not discovered until severa! days
after they are committed, depending on
the amount of goods stolen.
81 don't know to what extent klndre {,
trades have suffered from these thettss
in the last year or so, but in case OF
some of them there has been even more
of this thing than in the fur business
The wholesale fur business OF the nun
bred or more members of this assocl ia
ton amounts to SS5,ooO,ooo or $4o,-
100000 a year and embraces exporters
importers and collectors"
The success of his plan, Mr.. blelste!n |,
said. depends on how the membership
and kindred trade organizations view IL