USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Pittsfield > The history of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 1916-1955 > Part 22
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Upon Dr. Stone's resignation, he was succeeded in 1923 by Dr. Willys M. Monroe, who headed the department for more than thirty years except for a leave of absence during World War II.
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Under Dr. Monroe, who had been doing yellow fever work with the Rockefeller Foundation, the Health Department took new steps to control and prevent such communicable diseases as diphtheria, scarlet fever, smallpox, typhoid fever, and tuber- culosis. The state law requiring vaccination of the young against smallpox had so many loopholes that not half the children were being vaccinated.
The local situation was complicated by the fact that several doctors in the city did not believe in vaccination, and were will- ing to furnish exemption certificates. By making these certifi- cates valid for only six months and by offering free vaccinations to all school children, the Health Department righted this situa- tion, aided by the fact that as the doctors opposed to vaccina- tion grew old, their places were taken by younger doctors thor- oughly trained in preventive medicine.
In the early 1920s, very few children in Pittsfield were being immunized against diphtheria. It was procedure at the time that, before immunizing against diphtheria, the Schick test was given to determine if children had acquired a natural immunity to the disease.
In 1924, a campaign was launched to Schick-test and im- munize all school children in the city. The campaign continued for some years until the increasing number of pediatricians in Pittsfield made it unnecessary, for doctors began giving infants anti-diphtheria shots as a matter of course.
Up to the 1920s, much communicable disease had been spread by milk. Efforts to prevent this had been plagued by many mechanical difficulties that complicated the problem of making milk absolutely safe and free from germs. Many pas- teurization processes, it appears, actually stimulated germs, rather than killed them. During the winter of 1923-24, there were in Pittsfield two milk-borne epidemics of scarlet fever and a milk-borne epidemic of diphtheria. Few of the cows supplying milk to the city had been tuberculosis-tested; only two of the many dairies were pasteurizing milk.
In 1923, with the development of mechanisms to assure safe milk, the Health Department intensified its efforts to enforce
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the pasteurization regulation. Some in the city opposed this, challenging the authority of the department until the State Supreme Court handed down a decision upholding its authority to enforce pasteurization.
Area-testing of cows for tuberculosis began at this time, with the aid of the local Health Department. Berkshire County soon became a modified accredited area as a source of milk. Within a few years, bovine tuberculosis disappeared in the area. By 1930, most people in the city accepted pasteurization as a boon.
In the matter of immunization, more of those ill with tuber- culosis were willing to go to sanitoria, thus checking the spread of that infection. Children in larger numbers were immunized against diphtheria, though most of this work continued to be done by the Health Department on its own initiative.
During the Depression in the 1930s, the budget of the Health Department was cut, but its work went on. The local death rate, tuberculosis rate, and infant mortality rate steadily declined. Cases of typhoid, smallpox, and diphtheria became exceedingly rare. As more young pediatricians established practice in the city and immunized children as a routine part of their service, the detailed "case" work of the Health Department declined.
In 1928, a Health Department laboratory had been established in the basement of City Hall, under the direction of Miss Elea- nor A. Fraser, who had been working at the Bender Laboratory in Albany. The laboratory was moved in 1940 to more adequate quarters in the new Police and Welfare Building.
At first, the main work of the laboratory was the examination of slides and cultures. But as communicable diseases decreased, increasing emphasis was given to the examination of water, milk, and food-handling establishments. The State Health De- partment has given the laboratory a rating of "excellent."
During Commissioner Monroe's duty in the Army from early in 1941 to the summer of 1946, he was replaced first by Dr. Harry B. Franchere and later by Dr. John W. Trask, a retired general officer of the U. S. Public Health Service. Meantime, Miss Frances M. Tebeau had acted as commissioner.
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During World War II years, mosquito control was trans- ferred from the city to a county organization. After the city had built an incinerator, control of garbage disposal was re- moved from the Health to the Public Works Department.
In the post-war period, the Health Department moved closer to its objective of wiping out communicable disease, especially diphtheria, tuberculosis, and the typhoid dysenteries. These all but disappeared in Pittsfield. There were no deaths in the city from communicable disease in 1954, and only one in 1955- from meningitis-a splendid record.
Because of general prosperity, higher living standards, and better health measures, there was scarcely to be seen in the city a deformed, ill-nourished, or under-developed child. Control of disease played a major role in extending the average life span. In 1954, more than 10 per cent of Pittsfield's population con- sisted of persons aged 65 or more.
At the end of 1955, completing his 34th year of service, Commissioner Monroe retired. Dr. Harold Stein, a practicing physician in the city, formerly the Berkshire County officer of the State Health Department, was named as health commis- sioner, taking office the day after Dr. Monroe's retirement.
Public Welfare
Little emphasis was placed upon public assistance programs in the city until the later 1920s. Up to that time, the Board of Public Welfare was chiefly concerned with operation of the City Farm, later known as the City Infirmary through changes in legislation. The City Farm was a euphemism for the old-time poor farm, or poor house.
During World War I, there was a drop in the cost of admin- istering the General Relief program, known in those days as Outside Poor. It was customary at the time to publish the names of all persons receiving any form of public assistance, including those receiving Mothers' Aid for the care of dependent children. In fact, if not in theory, it was a practice to humiliate those in dire need and "inspire" them to greater efforts in their own behalf.
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Frequent controversies stirred the meetings of the Board of Public Welfare regarding "settlements" of people who applied for public aid. In some cases, aid was not granted until the ap- plicant's settlement was determined. Those associated with pub- lic assistance programs today often wonder what happened to these hungry and often sick people while waiting to have their residential status established. The settlement laws are still on the books, but are no longer used to deny public assistance to those in need.
Because of widespread criticism of the way the City Infirmary was being conducted, there were many changes in superinten- dents up to 1929 when Mr. and Mrs. William Griffin were made Superintendent and Matron at the institution. Griffin per- formed outstanding service to the city up to his death in 1945.
The Depression years brought profound changes in public welfare locally and across the country. The first impact of the Depression was broken in part by the welfare programs of various private agencies and other institutions in the city. Nota- ble among these programs was the General Electric food plan, which helped much to relieve distress and hold down the cost of local public assistance.
After many years of service as clerk and agent of the Board of Public Welfare, Albert W. Shaw resigned in 1931 and was succeeded by James W. Parsons. The latter resigned in 1933, and his place was taken by Martin Reilly, chairman of the Board.
During these trying years, it was almost impossible for the Welfare Department to get sufficient funds to engage a trained staff to carry on its rapidly mounting relief work. In 1931, the Unemployment Committee of the Community Fund gave the services of six "visitors" as a pilot program to show the neces- sity of trained social workers. The Community Fund paid the salary of a supervisor of social workers, naming Miss Ida M. Hull to the post. Miss Hull remained through 1933, resigning early in 1934.
Through this period, the department had only one social worker, Miss Irene M. Sheridan. It appointed on a temporary
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basis fifteen investigators, most of whom had little or no ex- perience in the problems involved in properly administering a public assistance program that was growing by leaps and bounds.
The situation was complicated by various programs estab- lished by the Congress and partly financed by Federal funds, but administered locally-Work Relief, Civil Works Adminis- tration, Civilian Conservation Corps, National Youth Admin- istration, Public Works Administration, Works Progress Ad- ministration, and others. While good in themselves, these pro- grams made administrative confusion worse confounded, and upon the Welfare Department fell a heavy load of complaints by the hungry, by the City Council which was trying to devise ways of raising more money when everybody was broke, and by the members of the Taxpayers Association who were feeling pains in their pocketbooks.
In the pinched year of 1933, Pittsfield had acute welfare problems, with thousands on relief, and enjoyed the rather un- enviable distinction of having three different Public Welfare Boards during the year, each serving a few months or more- Board #1, with John J. Byron as chairman; Board #2, with Denis T. Noonan as chairman; and Board #3, with Martin Reilly as chairman.
A change came when the new city charter went into effect in January 1934. In place of the Board of Public Welfare of three members, the charter placed the Welfare Department, as well as other larger departments, under a single commissioner ap- pointed by the mayor. Charles H. Hodecker, who had been agent of the Soldiers' Relief Department, was appointed to the post and is still in office.
Meantime, in 1931, the Old Age Assistance law became effective in Massachusetts, being a great step forward in the public assistance field. The first program was very restrictive. To qualify for such assistance, an applicant had to be 70 years of age or older, had to be an American citizen, and must have resided in the Commonwealth for 20 years. Under the Social Security act of 1936, the Federal government joined in the Old
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Age Assistance program, in cooperation with state and local governments. The age limit was dropped to 65 years, and resi- dence requirements were drastically reduced. Payments under the Old Age Assistance program have grown steadily in the city until they now total almost $83,000 a month.
The Social Security Act of 1936 had a decisive influence on all public assistance programs. It grew out of a general recogni- tion that Federal aid was essential if communities were to meet their problems of unemployment, dependent children, old age assistance, and similar matters.
In the old days, one had to prove almost absolute pauperism to be granted aid. Today, under our more humane and under- standing philosophy, persons in need of relief through no fault of their own-for reasons of health, or unemployment, or age, or other causes-are no longer regarded as social parasites, but deserving of help by the community at large through its Public Welfare Department, private social agencies, or other organiza- tions.
Police
Between 1915 and 1955, Pittsfield has had only two chiefs of police-John L. Sullivan and Thomas H. Calnan. Appointed to head the department in 1915, one of the city's most colorful public figures in recent decades, Sullivan served for more than thirty years, down to his retirement in 1947, when he was suc- ceeded by Calnan, one of the captains on the force.
When the old part-time constable system was abolished and a department of full-time policemen established in 1876, the force consisted of seven men: a chief and three patrolmen on duty from noon till midnight, and a captain and two patrolmen for the night watch from midnight to noon. Patrolmen were paid $1.75 a day.
When Sullivan took command, he had under him a captain, an inspector, a sergeant, thirty-three patrolmen, two patrol drivers, and a part-time matron to deal with women prisoners. The first motorcycle officer was soon added. With the number of automobiles increasing, safety zones were established at busy
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intersections, and a Safety First Week instituted, one of the first such campaign weeks in the country.
Increasing attention was paid to traffic control, protection of children on the streets, public morals, and-after the advent of Prohibition-liquor law enforcement. There was some moon- shining, bootlegging, and rum-running in Pittsfield, but they were of minor character and nothing like the gangster opera- tions that corrupted so many of our cities.
From the day he took office, Chief Sullivan began agitating for a new police headquarters-jail to replace the old town lock- up on School Street. Almost everybody agreed that the old police station, built in 1879 for $2,800, was inadequate and a disgrace.
"I notice when the City Council or the Board of Trade have visitors, they do not bring them to see the Pittsfield Police De- partment. I wonder why?" asked the Chief in his salty fashion. "Are they ashamed of the police station? The City Council asks forty-five men to make it their headquarters; they ask that 3,000 men and women be housed there as prisoners, that 500 tramps be taken care of by the department, that young women charged with minor crimes be confined in the same room with lewd and lascivious women overnight."
A progressive chief, Sullivan urged that the traditional "flat- foot" be supplanted in certain areas, recommending in 1924 that "patrolmen in the outlying districts be equipped with a car owned by themselves and the city allow them a certain amount for the use of their machines. What good is a patrol- man on foot? Today is the motor age; good roads, fast automo- biles, bootleggers, speeders, automobile thefts, and reckless drivers have increased the difficulties of law enforcement. The criminal of today has the best of automobiles." The recom- mendation was not accepted, but the number of motorcycle patrolmen was increased.
Hard times in the 1930s brought an increase in petty pilfer- ing and other misdemeanors. But the crime rate in Pittsfield remained low, as it always had, and the department continued to concentrate its activities on problems of traffic and public
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safety, emphasizing preventive measures to reduce accidents.
On New Year's Day, 1940, Chief Sullivan's dream came true when the department moved out of the old police station and across School Street into a handsome new brick structure, two stories high, built to house the Welfare as well as the Police Department. Among its special "accommodations" were sep- arate quarters for juvenile offenders, a cell block for women, matron's quarters, an assembly hall, and a target range for pistol practice. There were also two public comfort stations, the only such conveniences in town.
In 1941, as World War II approached, an auxiliary volunteer police force of almost 200 members was organized and trained to aid the regular force in case of emergency. Recruited from all walks of life, the auxiliaries served without pay, principally to control traffic and perform other duties during blackouts when sirens signalled a practice air-raid alert.
During the war years, the number of arrests declined, due in large part to gasoline rationing and the national decree that the speed limit everywhere should be thirty-five miles an hour. Driving for pleasure was banned.
"It was a strange and novel sight to see the streets of Pitts- field barren of cars during that period," wrote Chief Calnan in 1954. "Stranger still was the duty of the police to call on motor- ists who were visiting clubs, bars, and other places of assembly to remind them that they must take their cars off the street. It is also surprising to recall the compliance and cooperation shown to the police by the public at that time."
In 1944, after years of waiting for appropriations, a radio communications system for the Police Department was installed. This enabled the chief to deploy his men by remote control as situations developed, which greatly increased efficiency and as- sured a prompt response to calls for help made to the depart- ment.
On February 18, 1947, Chief John L. Sullivan retired, having reached the compulsory retirement age of sixty-five. The de- partment was without a chief eight days, during which time
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the responsibility of running the department was divided be- tween Captains Thomas H. Calnan and Camille L. Marcel.
This division of command presented something of a prob- lem, for Sullivan's retirement also left vacant the offices of Keeper of the Lockup, Smoke Inspector, and Dog Officer. How these offices were to be filled was a question, which was tem- porarily solved when Mayor Fallon appointed Captain Calnan as provisional chief. After a competitive examination for the post, the latter received his regular commission six months later, on August 26, becoming Pittsfield's fifth police chief since 1876.
At the time Calnan assumed office, the Police Department budget was $174,125, and the chief commanded a force con- sisting of a captain, an inspector, two sergeants, and fifty-seven patrolmen, of whom five were provisional. For a city of Pitts- field's size, this was a relatively small force, which was in part a reflection of the fact that the city's crime rate was very low. A national survey revealed that all crimes reported in Pittsfield during 1947 totalled only 7.3 for every 1,000 in- habitants, less than half the national ratio of 16.9.
The year 1948 brought many developments in the Police Department. With more and more automobiles crowding the streets and the accident rate rising, a Traffic Bureau was created, with a captain in charge from eight in the morning till four in the afternoon, and a sergeant in charge from four till midnight. It was their duty to investigate all accidents and prepare evi- dence for use in court, to see that all traffic laws were strictly enforced, to study traffic hazards and make recommendations for their correction. For the first time, traffic officers on duty at night were equipped with luminous safety belts and gloves.
At the same time, a Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Bureau was established to work closely with the schools, social agencies, and churches in dealing with youthful miscreants and more serious offenders. The Detective Bureau was modernized. Hours were extended to two in the morning, so that there were both day and night detectives. The records office was modernized, as was the crime laboratory, where new photographic and other
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equipment was installed. The Uniformed Division was placed in charge of two captains and three sergeants, who alternated on duty day and night. Thus there were four special sections, each headed by a superior officer who reported directly to the chief.
Parking meters were installed in 1948, and the Police De- partment was given the job of collecting the money, keeping records, and repairing meters. These duties were transferred to the city treasurer in 1950, at which time a jeep with a policeman at the wheel was assigned to patrol the parking meter and other areas for parking violations. During the year, the jeep-men passed out 11,549 "tickets"-an unprecedented number.
The department went on a forty-hour work week in 1952. This necessitated increasing the force by a sergeant and eleven patrolmen, but the number of men available for duty at any one time remained the same. Three "civilian" clerks were added to the roster, with the head clerk acting as the chief's adminis- trative assistant, being responsible for payrolls, personnel rec- ords, and the records of those arrested.
Appointed by the mayor, 150 auxiliary police were trained by the department and assisted it greatly in traffic control at large public functions. Perhaps of more importance and utility was the appointment of fifteen School Crossing Guards, eleven of them women, who were trained by the department and made a unit of the Traffic Bureau. Assigned to guard children at street crossings near schools, they performed excellently in reducing accidents. Rules and regulations for the conduct of all members of the force were completely revised and adopted in 1953.
In recent years, the department has put increasing emphasis on the professional training of its members. Three of its su- perior officers are graduates of the National Police Academy in Washington, D. C. Two members of the force are sent each year to the Massachusetts State Police Training Academy at Framingham. The department itself offers various courses as a regular and integral part of its program, with judges, district attorneys, and members of the FBI acting as instructors.
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"Though Pittsfield has its share of localized gambling," wrote Chief Calnan at the end of 1954, "syndicated crime and commercialized prostitution have never invaded this city." The community has maintained its enviable record of being free from major crime, and the incidence of juvenile delinquency is far less than in most cities of its size.
The police budget for 1954 came to $334,089, quite a dif- ference from the $509 police budget of a century before, and no doubt worth it in view of changed conditions, though it does not speak too well about the law-abiding characteristics of re- cent generations. Today's budget also reflects the many addi- tional duties and responsibilities that have been placed upon the police since the old days when a part-time night watchman or two wandered rather aimlessly about the streets of the town, carrying a staff and whale-oil lantern.
Fire Department
The last of the city's fire horses ran in 1915. They had first been used about 1885 to draw the heavier apparatus previously hauled by hand. Horses were hired from livery stables down to 1896, when some were bought for the Central Fire Station. (Built on Allen Street in 1895, this is still in use as the central station.) The other stations were soon provided with their own horses. The advent of the motor age and the passing of the old reliable fire horse marked the end of another era in local fire fighting.
In 1916, with all of its apparatus motorized, the Fire De- partment, under Chief William C. Shepard, had a regular force of thirty-five and a call force of eighteen. In 1919, the two- platoon system went into effect, with each fireman on duty 84 hours a week. Alarms received by telephone or from the 71 fire alarm boxes scattered about the city were signalled by a "hoot- er" at the Central Fire Station. Operated by compressed air, the hooter served other purposes. Two blasts on it at 7:45 in the morning meant "no school," usually a welcome sound to the children of the city; ten blasts called out the militia.
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The use of the hooter was discontinued in 1935. Experience had proved that it did little but alert the young fry and send them running-along with some older fry, too-to the scene of excitement where they got under the firemen's feet and "in their hair." The hooter went to the GE plant on Plastics Avenue where it is still used morning, noon, and night as a starting and closing signal.
The 1920s saw a slow but steady growth in the department. By 1930, under Fire Chief Shepard, it consisted of a deputy chief, two captains, five lieutenants, a drillmaster, a master mechanic, a secretary, fifty-two regular and ten reserve firemen. A "civilian" clerk was later added. During the Depression in the 1930s, there was little change in the size or facilities of the department, although several pieces of equipment were bought. In February 1933, Thomas F. Burke succeeded Shepard as chief of the department.
In 1937, a building was erected near the Tyler Street Fire Station to house the fire alarm system operated by the Fire and Police Signal Department. To make way for a new police sta- tion, the old building on Allen Street which the department had been using as a hose and drill tower was torn down. As a consequence, the department was without a drill tower until one was built near a new fire station on Peck's Road in 1951.
During World War II years, the fire force was short of men. Quite apart from the fact that most able-bodied young men were in the armed services, there was little inducement for anyone to take the fire entrance examination, for pay in the department was low and firemen still worked 84 hours a week. The department needed more fire stations, more and better equipment.
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