The Topeka state journal., 1899-12-21
Kansas City Wants to Know
About Municipal Ownership.
Capital City Delegation to
League Meeting Catechised.
IS IT A SUCCESS?
That Is the Question on Every
Lip.
Officials Take a Decided Stand
For Control of Utilities.

resentatives of Kansas cities of the
first class, who are here to discuss
methods for the Improvement of their
respective municipalities have one great
question uppernOst in their minds-the
city ownership of public utilities.
Every city of the first class in Kansas
is groaning under the burdens Of cor
porate extortion and the governments
are by no means reconciled to their
situation.
All eyes are turned to Topeka and
the delegates to the meeting of the
Kansas Municipal league had hardly
taken their seats before they began 70
inquire of the Topeka delegation con-
cerninS the success of the mun1clpal
lighting system, for Topeka is the only
city of the first class in Kansas which
has dared to rebel against the rapacIty
of corporations by operating its own
lighting plant and every delegate was
anxious to hear something about the
result.
President Narshman, mayor of Kan
Sas City, gracefully surrendered the
position Of presiding officer TO mayor
Drew of Topeka after the formallt1es
of the meeting had been disposed Of
Then began perfect fusillade OF
questions, Councilman Gerald Volk Of
Wichita firing the first gun.
I'VE want to hear said he, some
thing about the success of municipal
ownership in Topeka where it has been
thoroughly tried"
City Attorney Bird of Topeka offered
himself for a target and he withstoOd
the fire for nearly an hour
Mayor GOodlander of Fort Scott
How long has Topeka owned its light
ing SYSTEM
Mr. Bird-Since 1889.
City Attorney Helm of Wichita-BaS
it proved a success?
Mr. Bird-It most certainly has.
Councilman RadfOrd of Kansas City
What does it cost the city for lights?
Mr.. Bird-Between So and 81 per light
each month.
Councilman Volk-Does that include
interest on the investment?
Mr.. Bird-It does not.
Mr. Volk-What did your plant cost?
Mr.. Bird-AbOut $50, 0UU.
Councilman Radford-How is it man
aged?
I want to say right here that we are
getting lights cheaper than any city in
Kansas and better lights, too.
Councilman NOOnan of Fort Scott
How do you pay the interest on your
bonds?
Mr. Bfrd-We have no bonds. We paid
for the plant in cash.
Mr. VOlk-What do YOU use for fuel?
Mr.. Bird-We use slack.
Mr.. Volk-What does it cost?
Mr. Bird-The contract is for 81 ton.
City Attorney Hulett of Fort Scott
Do you do commercial lighting2
Mr. Bird-We do not. I do not think
we have authority to do commercial
lighting
the management of the plant2
Mr.. Bird-There is no politics about
it. We do not consider it.
Mr. Hulett-UnfOrtuna that Ques-
ton must be considered whether we
like it or not. Do your lights burn all
night?
Mr.. Bird-No, they burn on the Phil
adelphia or moonlir 1T schedule.
Mr.. Hulett-Our lights burn only till
1 o'clock and they cost US little less
than Sc per light and the lights are
very poor.
Mayor Drew-The showing made by
our plant is hardly fair. We have been
continually adding TO it until now we
have capacity for 500 lights. We only
have 2S6 lights and the additional cost
for 500 lights would be very small as it
would require no more coal and 1t
would only be necessary to employ one
or two more trlmmers-
Councilman Volk-In Wichita we are
swindled out of part of our lights
While we pay for 115 lights the capacity
of the dynamo is only 65 and so one cir
cult is frequently cut out for an hour
or two while the voltage is used some
where else.
Councilman Radford-We have much
the same trouble in Kansas City. We
pay 81 a month for the first 100 lights,
SO for the next 100 and 50 for the
third and we get very poor light.
Mr.. Heinz would like to ask Mr. Bird
if he believes it would be a good thing
Mr. Bird most Certainly DO
A resolution was introduced by the COM
on record desiring the city ownership
of all public utilities and Mr.. Bird said he
thought street railroads should be elimin-
ated. He said they are losing investments
in all Kansas cities.
That brought City Attorney Helm to his
feet. TT seems to me- said he, that it
might be a good plan to combine all these
utilities. In Wichita we have had a
bitter experience and if we had the pow
er and means feel certain that we would
have built a street railway, water and
lighting system all as one plant. We have
had a costly experience with all
Mayor R. L. Narshman of Kansas City
was the only one to protest He said he
was opposed to cities owning public util-
the work cheaper. He thought that as
soon as old franchises expire satisfactory
rates will be made by private parties.
City Attorney Bird complained because
the rneasuT proposed by cities of the first
class last year providing that cities
might condemn water and electric plants
was defeated in the legislature. The men
he were men from Kansas City and To-
peka Your senator was chairman of the
committee of cities of the first class in
the senate and killed one of the bills and
one of our representatives who was chair
man of the judiciary committee of the
house killed the other. It never got out
of the committee room and when Mr.. FL
lott and myself went to inquire about it
we were told that it was lost
The vote the adoption of the prOvis-
ion favoring the public ownership of util-
tiles was taken and resulted in a unani-
nous vote in favor of the question. evel-
Mayor AIarshman forgetting to vote in
the negative.
nA0 on nDTzrE