Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-07
Ball Park Police
ToCost Griffith
$4,000 Year
New D. &. Law Puts
Protection Expense
Upon Licensees

GIllOI CeIIlellC OF q new DlSCrlc
law requiring owners of licensed
stadiums, auditoriums and halls II
pay the salaries of firemen and 20
1icemen for the hours spent on dut,
at all events will cost the Wash.
ington Baseball Club about $20,o0l
a year, District officials estimated
today.
Hitherto, Clark Griffith, the owner
has been paying only a straight
license fee of IS year in return
for the protection afforded by detail.
of policemen and firemen stationed
at Griffith Stadium during base.
ball and football games and othel
events.
Also affected by the new law will
be the owners of Turner's Arena
Uline Arena and all other licensed
premises of public assembly.
The Water Gate, which does not
require license, is exempt. So is
the National Guard Armory drill
hall, which is owned by the District
government.
Circus License S35 a Day.
Carnivals, which formerly paid a
license fee of only So day, will
have to pay $35 a day under the
new regulations. Circuses now will
pay a fiat $3.50 for police and fire
protection at each local engage
ment instead of the former license
fee of SO a carload a day.
Formerly only the following sums
were paid as annual license fees by
various owners: Legitimate stage
theaters. $50 year; movie houses
$50 a year; skating Kinks, dance
halls and lecture halls, So a year;
bowling alleys, $12 a year; amuse-
ment parks, SOS a year, and base
ball and football grounds, S. year
Under the new law, the fees must
be paid in addition to payment for
police and fire protection.
The law was passed by Congress
In June but the District government
is just now completing work on the
bills for July.
Departments to Offer Bills.
A. r. Pilkerton, District auditor,
will receive the monthly estimates
from the Police and Fire Depart
ments and send out the bills. He
said he expects District enforcement
of the law will become current by
September /.
The law gives Fire Chief Clement
Murphy and Police Supt. Robert j.
Barrett discretion as to how many
firemen and policemen are needed
for each event.
In the case of Griffith Stadium
the Districts License Committee
pointed out to the Commissioners
before passage of the bill that large
crowds at the ball park require
police supervision both inside the
stadium and outside to handle traffic
Your committee has been in
formed by the police and fire de-
partmentS that the annual cost of
such is $7,463 and $40, respectively
the committee reported. With re-
spect to the number of police as
signed outside the stadium to control
traffic, the police have reported an
annual cost of $13,479, or a total
of $20,942 for both inside and out
side services.
These figures, when broken down,
show a present cost of $l.52 per
hour per man for police, 279 days
per year, and a cost of approx
mately 81 per hour per man for the
firemen."
May Shift Many Events.
q One effect of the new law may
be that promoters wishing to stage
ice shows, fairs, horse shows and
other events here, may take their
attractions to the Armory drill hall
rather than pay the price required
by the District for police and fire
protection in licensed structures
The commissioners recommended
the law to Congress ito remove
existing inequalities and inequities, -
pointing out that in most cases,
the license fees imposed were based
solely on the cost of required
inspections.