The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-11-16
MUST CUT EXPENSES.
The City Council Wishes to Re-
duce the Cost
Of City Government, and Will
Hold a Meeting
For the Express Purpose of Studying
Where They Can Be Reduced

Retrench! Retirement That IS cry
of the Topeka city council. The mem
bers of the council positively refuse to
discuss any other subject. It is their
only though by day and it furnishes ma
terial for their dreams at night There
is a well defined conviction that the ma
chinery of the city is too expensive and
the plan is to make it less so. Just how
that may be done will be discussed a a.
meeting of the whole council to be held
socn. and an ordinance viii be created
which will accomplish the desired result.
Probably one thing that did more than
anything else to open the eyes of the
council was the reckless expenditures of
the police department. The committee
on claims and accounts received the bills
of the police commissioners, grOaned over
them, and then Chairman Pattison af-
fixed the 20. K" stamp, but it set the
members of the committee to thinking
just the same and they began to wonder
if there was not certain degree of care
lessness in the conduct OF the street de-
partment, the electric light department,
the fire department and the sanitary de-
partment. After bordering over the mat
ter a short time the committee concluded
that there might. be some reforms in the
directions indicated, even if they could
not reach the police department.
Councilman Warner said, in discussing
the subject: I am fully satisfied in my
own mind that something should be done
at once to curtaI the expenditures of the
various city departments There is no
use of talking Of reducing the tax levy
when the expenses of the city are not
reduced.
As a member of the committee on
claims and accounts 1 have had an OPP
portunity to see a great many things
which did not please me. If we object
TO the size Of pay rolls the heads of the
departments say that the bills are no
larger than they have been in years past.
To my mind this is not good excuse.
They should not be so large Every mem
Der of the city government should do all
he can to reduce expenses. The taxes
cannot be reduced unless the expenses are
reduced at the same time. I do not be-
Iieve in this way of living beyond your
income
There is no use talking of the commit
tee on claims and accounts turning down
the bills. After a bill has been contract
ed by someone authorized TO do SO. we
can not very well refuse to allow it. 1t
is not treating the business man from
whom the purchases are made fairly. The
only thing we can do is TO allow the bill
if it is for goods or material actually re
ceived. The place to put check on this
recklessness is before the bills are made.
ana that is what I am in favor of do
ing"
Councilman Drew of the Fourth ward
is also q member of the committee and is
one of the most careful and conservative !
members of the council, but he has been
unable to suggest any plan for avoiding
reckless expenditures in the committee.
When the time comes he will have some
ideas to offer on the subject
Councilman Burgess says that he is sat |
isfed- that something must be done. He !
believes that there must be retrenchnent |
and he is in favor of drastic measures.
1t is not probable that there will be a /
new salary ordinance. The heads of de- |
partmeuts have already had their COM |
pensation Whitfield down until there are /
no longer any sinecures in the gift of the /
mayor
BY the time the council meets again in /
regular session there viii probably be /
some well defined plan submitted for re /
trenchment.
The greatest retrenchment could be /
made in the police department if it were /
not for the unjust system under which I
the metropolitan police exists. The po- /
lice department is the most expensive and /
the most wasteful in the city.