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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. |
