The voice of labor. (Cumberland, Md.) 1938-1942, 1940-01-05
Civic Illefeiciealcy

The Cumberland City Council has voted to
withdraw a part OF the police protection which
has hitherto been extended to residents. prop
erty owners and taxpayers.
In what is almost an unprecedented action
the Mayor and City Council has ordered cur.
tailment of essential police protection by fur
Laughing all officers. except executive heads
for three days each two weeks until next April
There is no reason given that there are too
many police officers or that there is no need
for their services. on the contrary the FIRST an
nouncement Of cutting down is that the police
will withdraw their protection of children who
Shedding the city streets. Perhaps
some Riddles may be killed or badly injured as
a result-but what is that?
Mayor Irvine is reported as saying that he
realized the decision would be unpopular with
the officers
But he did not have anything to say about
what the general public would think abou,
being deprived of the essential services OF
thcse officers.
he Police Commissioner voted for the fur
lor hing and eurtament which can be viewed
either as an admission that he has been hiring
too much help in the past, or that he is agree
in without protest to permit under protection
for the next three months! His statement
tha he refused to order the reduction on his
own hook because he was not responsible for
the insufFciency of the money appropriated is
a very strange excuse. The taxpayers might
rightly ask the Police Commissioner why he
has been willing to perform any Of the functions
OF his office. seeing that he had no voice in
hs ng the budget
Mayor Irvine was Police Commissioner when
the current levy was made. 1t now appears
that serious underestimate or serious over
spending has happened in the Police Depart
msnt finances. 1t is interesting to note that
the -Poiice Chief announces that the expensive
and recently purchased police cruisers will be
put into storage result of the slash in
police. This sounds strange in view OF state
ment made by Irvine some months ago in
which he threatened to cut the force in half
and do the remaining work by police patrol
carsll
Somebody in the City Council has made a
blunder and the result is going to be the with
dsawai of police services from the taxpayers
1t is another example of the general inefficency
and unbusinesslike procedure which stamps
the actions OF the entire group.
Let US hear no claims OF efficiency emanate
from City Hall during the coming eectionsl
1t is not efficiency to under estimate essential
needs and it is ineficicncy Of the grossest kind
which curtails essential services We wonder
if the city hall crowd has any excuses to ofer2
The VOICE OF LABOR has a couple of
suggestions to Offer II proposes that the
City Tax Collector be instructed to demand
immediate payment of the long overdue
&c L.
connection with the Taylor Tin Mill. II il
is embarrassing that their local attorney is
also the City Solicitor then hire another at
torney to take legal steps for collection. The
collection of these taxes will more than pay
the deficiency in the Police Department.
(You may recall the City kindly paid for
unnecessary protection by hiring police dep
uties during the tin mill strike, surely il is
not too much to ask Republic Steel Corpora
ton to pay its share of normal and essential
police protection.)
Second suggestion is this. The City is cut
ting s2763 per man each month by the police
furloughs. The City pays $50 per annum to
the Cumberland Chamber Of Commerce as an
nual dues Nobody knows why. Nobody
knows what earth the taxpayers get in re-
turn Well. just save the $50 and apply it to
the Police Fund, thereby making it unnecessary
to furlough one policeman for the next two
months. a third suggestion is to repeal the
handful ordinance Immediately and make it
unnecessary for the City to maintain a police
officer at the gates of the Kelly tire plant to
apprehend criminal union men who distrib-
ute handbills without permit.
But, we are still waiting to listen how the
wise men of the Council will albi at election
time two months hencel