The New York herald., 1921-09-28

The testimony given petore Ine
Meyer Committee by Major GEORGE
w. KNIGHT, who collected insorma-
tion for the United States Govern
ment in regard to the cost Of policing
New York's piers, is staggering.
Last year the steamship companies
paid S35,S50,000 for watchmen. In
1919 the cost was even greater
$41,61o,000.- That is the interest on
a billion dollars!
The value Of all the goods that
passed through this customs district
last year, export and import, was In
round numbers $6,000,0 100000 And
that, remember, was for The whole
customs district of New York, while
the expense Of $50, ,s50,000 year was
for policing the piers Of this city
only. Yet the policing cost more
than one-half OF l per cent. OF the
six billions of dollars.
The cost Of policing the piers last
year was so per cent. more than the
cost of policing the streets Of the
whole city OF New York. 1t was
nearly three times as much as the
cost of running New York's great
Fire Department.
The cost of policing the docks last
year was within s2,o0o,00o OF the
combined cost OF the city's Police
and Fire departments. And it was
SS,55S.oO0 more than the combined
cost OF the Police and Fire depart
ments in 1917, the last year OF
Mayor MITcHEL's administration.
There is great curiosity to know
why 10000 watchmen at Sc a day
each were needed to police the piers
Of this city last year when the 5000
miles of streets in Greater New York
were covered by 5000 patrolmen at
about the same rate of pay.
Would the steamship companies,
II unaffected by pressure, spend
100000 day for protection?
The charges made before the Meyer
Committee relative to the methods
employed by the private detective
bureaus in getting contracts to guard
piers have excited public wonder.
For the sake of New York's com
merce as well as for the sake Of
common honesty it ought to be dis
covered exactly what the pier police
conditions are. Are the steamship
companies gouged by political de-
tective bureaus as they have been
gouged by political lessees OF piers?
"Oh, WELL" the easy going citizen
may say, "the corporation pays the
graft anyway. It's nothing to me-"
Isn't it, though? Every dollar Of
graft money, whether It is paid for
piers or police or something else,
has to be made up by the corporation
that pays II. 1t comes out OF the
pockets OF the easy going citizen.
He pays it in the price Of the i'm
n lrted coffee that he has the first
thing in the morning. He pays II in
the price OF the imported pillow
cover that he lays his head on at
night. And all the day in retween
he pays for some of the graft.
But the effect of the huge cxpendi-
lures OF the steamship companies on
the cost OF living is trifling beside
It's effect on this city's port. When
q steamer line figures up the amount
II Is obliged to pay to the lease graft
ers and adds to this its share Of the
100000 q day for pier police how
can 1t help looking for some other,
some more economical--not 20 say
more honest--port at which to land
its cargoes?
The revelations about the dock
graft are absorbing. But tho Meyer
Committee is only lifting the lid
and giving a hint OF what's below.
Under CURRAN and new admins.
tration New York will be able to find
out where the cream OF the millions
OF dollars goes. Then the graft can
ho ctrnvnI