310 State Papers and Addresses

The defense program of the Nation will have a very important bearing on
the utility situation in Maryland, and will affect it in various ways. In this
program the State of Maryland, both by reason of its geographic situation and
the location within the State of a number of the largest and most important
munitions, airplane, shipbuilding, steel and other industries, is in a position of
vital importance, and it is imperative that the utilities of the State expand their
facilities so as to insure sufficient and satisfactory service not only to the
industrial plants themselves but to the large number of persons who will be
employed therein, many of whom will live in the housing developments which
are being located adjacent to some of these plants.

Fortunately, the larger electric utilities of the State already have made
plans, and have received the Commission's approval thereto, for the substantial
additions to their generating equipment which are considered to be necessary.
Most of the new units are now in course of manufacture. The Chesapeake and
Potomac Telephone Company of Baltimore City almost has completed a new
building in the central section of Baltimore, in which will be located the
Company's administrative offices as well as certain exchanges serving the
downtown area of the City and, in addition to this, major additions to the toll
and exchange facilities of the Company to provide for the increasing demands
for service are well under way.

MARYLAND STATE POLICE

The activities of the State Police Force, under the administration of Colonel
Beverly Ober, have greatly increased. Money has been provided to appoint for
each of the sub-stations a civilian clerk to maintain the sub-station records and
operate the radio and telephone. With this in effect, nine patrolmen were
released from sub-station duty. With the assistance of WPA projects, several
of the sub-stations have been improved and repairs made to all nine.

Funds have been provided for training, the result of which was that the
new men taken on the force in the fall of 1939 were given five weeks intensive
training before being released to the sub-stations for duty. In the winter of
1940 the entire force was given a "Refresher Course" of two weeks, and it was
possible to accomplish the certification of every member on the force in first-aid,
with the authority to wear the Red Cross emblem. A study of "Selective En-
forcement" was undertaken and instituted throughout the State.

Following the recommendations of the International Association of Chiefs
of Police, with Bruce Smith of the Institute of Public Administration as advisor,
the Department was reorganized to enable it to expand and increase its effi-
ciency. Two new steel towers were erected, one at Waterloo and one at Cono-
wingo, and radio communications of the department were materially benefited.

Future plans for this department include the extension of radio facilities,
with special reference to the Cumberland sub-station, where the present equip-
ment has not sufficient power to cover the mountain area. The building up of
radio facilities is important in order to "tie-in" men on patrol with the general
situation.

Recommendations have been made to increase substantially the size of the
force, and for the distribution of this force throughout the State, in order to
enable the troopers to be in a position to cooperate promptly with any local
police forces in an emergency, and more adequately to patrol the highways.