Tramps Cost Over $10,000

TRAMPS COST OVER $10,000

Board of Supervisors Want a Work House

ASK FOR LEGISLATION

So that the Tramp May Leave Washtenaw Out of His Itinerary

Tramps cost the county of Washtenaw over $10,000 last year. So reported the committee of the board of supervisors Monday. There was very little discussion of the report, but instead there was action. Messrs. Harriman, Whitaker and Bacon were appointed a special committee to consider the tramp question and to procure from the legislature an enabling act to permit the county of Washtenaw to establish and maintain a workhouse.

Mr. Cady, of the last year's committee, reported after full investigation that the officer's fees, jail fees and board for the persons convicted of being drunk and disorderly, otherwise tramps, amounted in the past year to over $10,000. Of the 580 persons in Jail during the year, 521 were tramps.

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The following is the report of the committee who have taken up the tramp question as made to the board of supervisors Monday and which was made the basis of action looking towards a workhouse for tramps.

Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct. 13. 1902.

To the Honorable Board of Supervisors of Washtenaw County,

Gentlemen: Your committee appointed by your honorable body at the October session of 1901 to examine the dockets of the justices courts with regard to tramp and drunk arrests, also to visit the county jail whenever they deem it necessary, would make the following report.

In looking over the situation and calling upon the different justices of the county your committee found that the number sent to the county jail from the smaller courts is exceedingly small. We shall, therefore, confine ourselves to the justice courts of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor with the following results. The number committed from the four justice courts of Doty, Gibson, Childs and Joslyn were as follows:

November, 1901.

Total number committed in Nov. . . . . 30

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 10

Total number days in jail in Nov. . . . . 300

December, 1901.

Total number committed in Nov. . . . . 74

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 11

Total number days in jail in Dec. . . . . 814

January, 1902.

Total number committed in Jan. . . . . 126

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 11 1/2

Total number of days in jail. . . . . 1450

February, 1902.

Total number committed in Feb. . . . . 131

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 11 1/4

Total number of days in jail. . . . . 1455

March, 1902.

Total number committed in March. . . . . 112

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 11 3/4

Total number days in jail. . . . . 1300

April, 1902.

Total number committed to jail. . . . . 28

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 9 1/4

Total number of days in jail. . . . . 260

May, 1902.

Total number committed to jail. . . . . 13

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 24

Total number days in jail. . . . . 310

June, 1902.

Total number committed in June. . . . . 12

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 10

Total number days in jail. . . . . 120

July, 1902.

Total number committed in July. . . . . 26

Average days per man. . . . . 7

Total number of days in jail. . . . . 189

August, 1902.

Total number committed in Aug. . . . . 15

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 12

Total number days in August. . . . . 170

September, 1902.

Total number committed in Sept. . . . . 15

Average days in jail per man. . . . . 10 3/4

Total number days in jail. . . . . 150

Total number committed from the four courts of Doty, Gibson, Childs and Joslyn from November 1, 1901 to October 1, 1902 was 580, of which 521 were committed for being drunk and disorderly.

Total number of days these persons were in jail was 6,519.

Your committee was also instructed to visit the jail from time to time as they deemed it necessary and note the number of prisoners at such times confined therein. Your committee would state that they have made personal examinations on the 1st and 15th of each month and noted the number present at such times with the following results:

Prisoners in jail Nov. 1, '01 . . . . 13

Prisoners in jail Nov. 15 . . . . 16

Prisoners in jail Dec. 1 . . . . 32

Prisoners in jail Dec. 15 . . . . 35

Prisoners in jail Jan. 1, '02 . . . . 54

Prisoners in jail Jan. 15 . . . . 47

Prisoners in jail Feb. 1 . . . . 64

Prisoners in jail Feb. 15 . . . . 44

Prisoners in jail March 1 . . . . 27

Prisoners in jail March 15 . . . . 58

Prisoners in jail April 1 . . . . 7

Prisoners in jail April 15 . . . . 14

Prisoners in jail May 1 . . . . 8

Prisoners in jail May 15 . . . . 9

Prisoners in jail June 1 . . . . 9

Prisoners in jail June 15 . . . . 8

Prisoners in jail July 1 . . . . 14

Prisoners in jail July 15 . . . . 6

Prisoners in jail August 1 . . . . 8

Prisoners in jail August 15 . . . . 5

Prisoners in jail September 1 . . . . 9

Prisoners in jail September 15 . . . . 8

Your committee further report that the officers fees and jail fees and board for the persons convicted of being drunk and disorderly, otherwise "tramps," amounted during the past year to more than ten thousand dollars.

C. H. CADY,

CHARLES BRAUN,

H. G. PRETTYMAN.

Committee