The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-01-21
FIF!ELD URGES
ENLARGING OF
State Police
Secretary of State Makes
Plea in Road School
Address.
MORE ROADS TO GUARD
Increased Mileage Cited as
Reason for Need of
More Officers.

BIZ United Press
LAFAYETTE, Ind, Jan. 2l.-In-
crease in the personnel of the state
police department to combat
crime situation made serious by in
creased good road mileage and in
creased use of automobiles was ad-
vocated BY Otto @ F'ifield, Secre-
tary of state, in an address here
today to highway department Off
Gals, county highway superintend-
ents, surveyors, county engineers
and city commissioners attending
the sixteenth annual Purdue uni
versity road school. The session
opened Monday to continue through
Friday.
I'VE are working on a cycle" FL
field told the several hundred men.
more roads are creating more
taxes, NOR automobiles are conse-
Quently a ced for more police"
The address outlined the history
of Indiana's road laws and the his
tory of the state police department.
AlLeS Extent Oh hOduS
Five thousand sixty-flve miles of
road are designated as state roads
under the law passed in 1915" FL
field said. 1.-TWO thousand four
hundred and twenty-five miles are
of hard surface concrete, brick or
asphalt. Three hundred and two
miles were constructed last year.
Every foot Of our roads is paid
for We are not handing down
debt to our children and grand
children. Money for the conStruc-
ton Of these roads comes from auto
license tax, gasoline tax and from
federal aid. The license tax last
year amounted to $6,245,3 1888, of
which $5,969,283 was turned over
to the highway commission. Case
line tax collections amounted to
$16,134 568.32 and federal aid
brought S2,368, 77256.
Fif1eld called attention to the
formation of the state police de-
partment in 1921 as an institution
to aid in recovering stolen auto
mobiles.
ut was originally created as an
inspecting agency for the enforce
ment of the certificate of title law
and was financed by the auto theft
fund" he said.
I'm 1925 the legislature empowered
the police with full enforcement
duties of the motor vehicle laws, in
c1lJdircY traffic re011Iot films
License Income Gains
Attention was called also to the
work performed by the state police
In increasing the revenue from sale
of license plates through rigid en-
forcement of the license law. Work
OF the police in recovering stolen
cars also was stressed
During the first year, the police
recovered I'll stolen automobiles
and arrested and convicted ninety
nine automobile thieves" he said.
In 1923 they recovered 300 cars and
arrested and convicted los thieves.
In 1925, 2,6l1 we're reported stolen
and all but $50 recovered. In 1926.
E'OSV 0CAC lCpuI bcu SIOl6il ana all
were recovered except $50. In 1927,
1916 were reported stolen and 6,7O0
recovered, of 81 per cent. In 1928.
6,625 were reported stolen and 1924
recovered, Or 10 per cent.
During the past year, 1920 we're
reported stolen and 3.431 recovered,
or 70 per cent. Eighty out of 100
stolen cars are recovered" Fif1eld
said.
Other speakers on today's pro-
gram included E. L. Gates, super
intendent DePage county highways.
Wheaton, Ill; c. w. McClain, dis
trict engineer, state highway COM
mission, Seymour; Ted Hollings-
worth, Steuben county; Clifford
Sniff. Allen county: c. ]. Luellen,
Henry county; E. L. ErikSen, Purdue
engineering department, and j. l..
Stewart, Franklin county.