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Wallace
Lauds Men
Bruce
A. Wallace was toastmaster, and he emphasized the remarks of
Commissioner Kobus as to
"the honesty of the men."
"When
you got that 30 percent reduction in pay,” said Wallace, "I
know how you came to my office, worrying about how you would meet
your building and loans, how you would pay various debts that you
owed, and I know that some of you even gave up your homes, because
you couldn't afford to pay for them longer. That would never have
happened if you were doing any 'put and-take stuff'."
Mrs.
Kobus started with a tribute to Bott,
for his own efficiency as a policeman and his fighting qualities
as shown in the battles he made for his brother policemen.
“I
knew Herb Bott,"
she said, "before I got into the department but once in there
my sweet dream changed to a nightmare, because every day Bott
was there with a delegation wanting something done for the
policemen, or asking that something be not done to them.
"We
have gone through stormy times together, through strikes and labor
troubles and of course I have always found out, through others,
naturally that 'the police are always wrong.' I have told the
employers where they were wrong, and told the strikers that the
police could not have abused them or wronged them because they
belonged to an association of their own, fighting for the things
that the policemen and the firemen felt that they wanted.
Citizens
Gave Praise
"I
hadn't been four weeks in the department before I thought everybody
in Camden was affected by 'letter writingitis.' But after four
weeks the other kind of letters began to come in, and the police
were being given the credit which they had deserved and which they
had won for themselves.
"And
the longer I am in the department the prouder I am of the police
and the fire departments of the city of Camden. I am proud of
every policeman and of every fireman in both departments. I have
been out at·1.30 a. m. and heard a call come for the car in which
I was riding, and in one minute and a half that car was at the
scene, in two minutes there was another and in four minutes a half
a dozen cars had appeared on the scene.
"I
want to say for the men of the police department that nowhere in
the United States is there a more honest or more faithful group of
men.
"I
hear a lot of talk about policemen, I hear lots of talk of how
they are 'taking,' but I also want to say that I haven't found one
yet who wasn't honest and to prove it crime today in Camden is at
its lowest ebb.
"Crime
today in Camden has been lowered 40 to 60 percent, and I say to
anybody who wants to know that you couldn't have had this
condition unless Camden was guarded by an honest, efficient police
department.
"That
crime in Camden is at its lowest ebb is due entirely to the
vigilance of the police department, and to its loyalty to duty. I
want to pay tribute to Chief
Colsey, to Babe Clayton, to Herb
Bott and the other officers of the department for having the
police department where it can be proudly acclaimed as without a
superior in the whole United States."
Mayor
Brunner, after paying his tribute to a personal friend, Herb
Bott, declared "Mrs.
Kobus is your superior but I'm the man who has to find the
money to pay you. And that hasn't been any easy job, I can tell
you, as the tax collector's job in any community is a tough
one."
"I
want to say that things in Camden have gone to ___ in the past,
and until the three New Deal Commissioners took charge of affairs,
things continued in just that manner. And that we have given an
honest, efficient administration is the thought of the average
citizen of Camden today.
Promises
Pay Restoration
"When
we first came into power the people thought they had to pay no
taxes. I say now that we have collected the taxes as they should
have been collected in the past and as they will be collected in
the future.
"Camden
doesn't need any new taxes. We have been successful in collecting
the taxes because we made those who could pay to pay. The men we
put in front, for the first collection of taxes, were the
politicians who thought they stood in a favored group and could
get away with it.
"I
want to assure you policemen that on January 1, 1939, I feel sure
that we'll be able to give you back the last five percent that we
had to take from you, when things were left in such a shape for us
that we could not do anything else.
"People
are responding to our tax collections, and the people feel that we
are giving them 100 cents for a dollar and that's the reason.
"We
have no favorites on the tax rolls. We saw to it that the
politicians headed the list of those who were the first to pay,
and we've given the little fellow a chance. We've let him pay by
the week, or the month or anyway that would suit him best, because
we believe that the little fellow is entitled to his own
homestead, and we're going to see that he keeps it, but those who
can afford to pay and wont are going to be made to pay."
Carlton
W. Rowand related that his father, a former police official, had
recently, told his son that "the police department today was
the best in the history of Camden,"
Surrogate
Frank B. Hanna also
added his tribute to the department and to the guest of honor.
"The
spirit of the police department”, Hanna
said, "is shown to no better advantage than in the manner
your association aids the underprivileged children of this city. I
know, too, that whenever a committee is formed for a job to be
done for the men in the department, Herb
Bott jumps into action and does his level best for his
associates.”
N.
J. Crime Bill 10 Millions
Harry
B. Gourley, of Paterson, president of the State Police Beneficial
Association, declared that crime was costing the state of New
Jersey $10,000,000 every year, and that the crime bill of the
nation was more than $15,000,000,000.
He
asked co-operation in crime prevention and declared that "any
attempt to break down the morale of the police was wrong, and the
way in which it was easiest broken down was when you dip into the
pay check."
He
cited numerous instances of the heroism of the policemen, and
asked that every citizen stand squarely behind the men in the
matter of pensions.
Commissioner
Harold W. Bennett
also lauded the guest and the police department, as did Harry
Wilkers, who succeeds Bott as president of the association and
Robert Wonstetler, who becomes delegate to the state convention to
replace Bott.
Mrs.
Emma Shriver, retiring president of the Ladies Auxiliary,
presented Bott with a
check, while Wallace gave him the gift of his associates, 50
silver dollars. Mrs. Bott was remembered with flowers.
Willard
Schriver was chairman of the committee having the dinner in
charge, and associated with him were Charles
Cook, Arthur Batten,
Maurice
F. O'Brien, William
Marter, Edward Leonard, Mrs. Schriver, Mrs.
Anna Gleason and Mrs. William McGrath. |
