New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-02


man who is a constant menace, and
second it serves notice on all police
| men that clubbing of citizens will be
copdoned
"a precisely similar circumstance
exists when grating policeman,
whose grating propensities have been
proved before the trial commissioner
is retained in the ranks of the force
Two evils result. First, the CRATER
is retained as a constant menace.
Second, notice is served on all ranks
of the Police Department that graft
ing is not an offense calling for dis
| missal.
In fact. grating detectives, whose
previous dismissal had been affirmed by
the Appellate Division, were reinstated
by Commissioner Enright soon after his
induction into Office.
az shall be the business of this com.
mittee to bring to the pubic's attention
a certain matter, sight of which has
been lost or concealed by the secretiye
policy Of the present Police Commits
sioner.
THE committee will begin its public
hearings on Tuesday, August 9, at the
Guy Hall. No legislative committee
has eve, faced heavier task or a
greater opportunity for rendering pub
AN oSiNiSS. DuilIS lNS ldSC CWC
months our experts and investigators
have accumulated a mass of evidence
relating to many of the municipal de.
garments and borough governments
the immensely of the task which con-
fronted Senator Brown and the commit
tee Will be appreciated when the result
OF the committees work is made known
am confident that citizens as q whole
Will be satisfied with what we have &C
compEshed when they have a chance to
study it for themselves.
II do not mean to say we have COM
pleted our survey of the city govern.
ment. great deal of the investipa
| ton and research work is still ahead of
US. But we have already obtained
enough information to more than iusti-
fly the expense to which we have obi
gated the state. We have, to cite ex-
amples, surveyed the administrations
OF the Department of Markets, the De-
partment of Education, the Finance De-
partment, the License Department., the
Dock Department, the Street Clean
ing Department, the Health Depart
ment, the Fire Department, the Depart
ment of Water Supply, Gas and Flee
tricity, the Police Department and the
borough Offices in Queens. The re-
naming departments will be taken I'D
as fast as the staff can reach them.
"A word of tribute is due to the staff
of the committee. Under the handicap
O. open or covert opposition by the city
administration, and under great pres
sue because Of lack of time they have
labored tirelessly and efficiently.
"A frequent charge brought agains.
the committee has been that it was
guilty OF extravaganza. We have spent
about $4,000 of the 100000 appropri-
q n NV IA rrS r1 %~,.&
lieve that it would have been physi-
cally possible to accomplish what we
hsve done at any less expense. Every
eHcrt has been made to economic. IN
stead of retaining firms of accountants
on their regular fee basis, as previous
committees have done, we have hired
individual accountants at reasonable
weekly salaries. The clerical work has
been done a the prevailing rate of
wages. Investigators have been paid
rather less than they were accustomed
to receiving from other committees.
'Our object has been twofold-frst
to investigate the methods of opera
ton and administration of the great
est city in the world; second, to at
tempt to ascertain the defects in the
with a view to advising the Charter
Revision Commission as to essentia!
reorganizations of departments and
bureaus and changes or amendments to
the existing law. We have not been
conducting simply graft hunting ex-
petition, although we have found evil
dence of graft, extortion. and lamenta-
bic misrule.
principally we have been trying to
find out where the city's system OF
government breaks down, why it breaks
down, how it can be made more eff
cient. This kind of an investigation
! requires more time than an ordinary
political snapshooting expedition. Dur.
ing ensuing weeks people will have am
Iple opportunity to judge as to whether
we have gone at our task in the proper
| spirit"
Senator Meyer was asked if Senator
Clayton r. Lusk, who was presented
with a $l,13l silver service by de.
tectives after he had introduced legis-
lation increasing their salaries AND
making their jobs permanent. would
take part in the public hearings or if
he would resign. He replied:
"That is for Senator Lusk to say"
Hirsh field Assails Meyer