Evening star., 1948-08-08
PoIice,FireP'ay
MayRaisePrice
0fSportsEvents
Griffith, Arena Hes
Protest Charge TO-
Extru Protection

prices 10 SpOflS ctctllS dTOSc Ilclt
last night as three Washington sta
dium and arena owners contem-
plated their new obligation to pay
the salaries of firemen and police
men for hours spent on duty at
public events.
The trio Clark Griffith, Mrs.
Florence Turner and Nigel J. Uline
voiced loud disapproval of the
license legislation passed two
months ago which compels the pay
ments. They limited strongly at i'm
minent increases in the price of
tickets to baseball, boxing and
wrestling events.
Mr.. Griffith, owner of Griffith
Stadium and the Washington base
ball club-who has paid only IS a
year for his license to run a sta
dium-stands to be the biggest loser
May Pay $4,000 A Year.
District License Supt. Chatham T.
Nottingham estimated the Mats
owner would have to pay $4,000 a
year for police and fire protection
furnished for ball games and other
events at the stadium.
"I can't stand to pay $4,000" Mr.
Griffith declared last night. This
is the first I have heard OF the
law and I will have to study it be-
fore I decide whether I should ab-
sorb the loss OR equalize it by in
creasing the ticket prices for ball
games. I don't want to if can
help it,
Mrs. Florence Turner. widow OF
the late Joe Turner, and owner OF
Turner's Arena on w street NV.
near Fourteenth street, said she
might have to raise admission prices
if forced to make use of EXCESSIVE
numbers of policemen and firemen
| Double Taxation Charged.
II don't see how this law will
affect me much" Mrs. Turner de-
clared. Il always have anywhere
from 30 to so special policemen, paid
and uniformed by me, on hand for
our fights. Some Of them are
Government policemen off duty
Robert Foster, vice president and
general manager of the Uline Arena
declared:
1T seems to me that we will be
paying twice for the same thing
It's a case of double taxation and
I'm sure Mr.. Uline feels the same
way. We have talked about this
many times"
/ TT1;oA {e from q
long illness and was unable to
comment. Mr.. Foster is his son-in-
law.
To Be Enforced Retroactively.
The new law, will be- enforced
retroactivly to July !. The cost OF
the protection, will, be determined
after Police Supt. Robert j. Barrett
and Fire Chief Clement Murphy
decide Just how many traf11c police
men, patrolmen and f1remef1 will be
needed at the structures each
month.
Under the law, the two have COM
plete discretion as to what protec-
ton Is required at any given event
/ Both Mai. Barrett and Chief Muir
ply said they found the law difhcuit
to administer, however, in its pres
ent form. 1t requires that the IL
censee pay the hourly rate OF pay Of
each policeman and fireman detailed
to public events They pointed out
that there are six classes OF private
while the police department has
corporals and both departments have
sergeants. All these ratings earn
different hourly rate Of pay.
To Ask SimplificatiOn.
Both chiefs plan to ask corpora
ton counsel Vernon E. West to in
vetigate the possibility of facilitating
paper work connected with enforce
ment of the law by permitting then
to charge the hourly rate OF pay o.
privates first class, $9.44 cents day
/ Chiefs Murphy and Barrett woule
rather charge fiat $l.16 an houl
for each man on duty, regardless ol
rank, than attempt to figure out ir
advace just which men OF wha'
ranks would comprise the details fol
the stadium and the arenas.
The July bills for the three owner!
are being prepared now, although
the law requires that they be sub
mitted a month in advance. Dis
trict Auditor A. r. Pilkerton think
it will be September l before thu
bills become current under the law
Movie theaters will not be affected
to any extent.