The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-03

thought that the city might save $40 a
month by cutting off the four merchant
police who have been employed.
Gentlemen" said Councilman War
ner, I believe the city can not spend
$40 a month where it win be more APP
preciated by the merchants of this town
than for merchant police 1 believe in
the merchant police. Twice when my
store has been entered by burglars it
was the merchant police who came to
my house and brought me to town to
look after things. This month we paid
$144 to f. M. Stahl. What for? Spotter
evidence? 1 am not saying anything
against the police. They do what they
are bid to do. but they evidently have
something else to do besides watch
store buildings
After the council had defeated the
resolution, Mayor Hughes announced
like man who says I-told-you-so,
Now you will have to pass a salary
ordinance to pay these men But City
Attorney Spencer held that it would be
perfectly legal to continue to pay the
merchant police by voucher as they
have been paid in the past.
Mayor Hughes discharged Merchant
Policeman Faas a few days ago for be-
ing found in disorderly house. He an
nounced last night that he would to-
Fucker, who is said to have told one, one
of his friends that he would not work
any for the city unless the city would
give him a raise in pay. This will leave
only two merchants police still in the
field, Al Hopkins and Will Hopkins.
PARK SEWER WINS AGAIN.
The fight for the city park. sewer was
sharp and decisive last night. This
matter had to be brought up again in
order to instruct the city clerk to adj
vertise for bids for the construction of
the sewer. AS soon as Councilman
Weber offered a resolution authorizing
bids to be received on the evening of
December g. Councilman Swendson
N owed to lay the motion on the table
The motion to lay on the table was lost.
and the resolution promptly carried.
There was no debate.
CITY PHYSICIAN WANTS PAY.
City Physician Judd asked the coun-
Gil to pay him IS per visit for 10 visits
to smallpox cases during November a
total of SOS. The bill was referred to the
city attorney. The laws provide that
the city physician shall be paid $50 a
month in full compensation for his ser
vices, and there is considerable doubt
whether under this law the council can
give him an increase in pay for small
pOx care. Smallpox cases are supposed
to be part of his duties city ply
stefan.
DEMANDS FOR MORE PAY.
AS might be expected, there was a
heavy crop of requests for increase in
pay at the meeting last night One man,
Porter NJ. Mitchell head trimmer at the
city electric light plant, in the course of
a long and 1abored argument in his
own behalf, wrote the following:
II am subject to frequent calls day
or night whenever anything happens to
be on the line, and l often spend half
the night in search of trouble"
The council was evidently impressed
with the in portance of paying we'll
man WHO is SO diligent in his search
for trouble. The request went to the
ways and means committee. Frank
Beach, night fireman at the plant, also
asked for an increase from $50 to $65
per month. 1t was referred.
CHIEF WILMARTH'S WARNING.
Chief Wilmarth thinks that the dam
ger of fire in the city hall or auditorium
is very great, and he notified the coun-
Gil of some needed Improvements in the
following letter which was referred to
the committee on public buildings:
Il feel it my duty to earnestly call
the attention of your honorable body to
the Importance and necessity. for the
safety of the city hall building in case
fire should occur in the Auditorium,
that standard fire shutters be placed at
the most exposed windows at the south
end and a portion of the east side of
the three story building. Iron supports
for such shutters were placed at the
time the building was erected but the
shutters have not been provided.
"a serious fire if once under Roadway
in the Auditorium would throw out
such intense heat that flames would
quickly break the glass in the nearest
window and would be very liable to en-
ter the city hall proper, and thereby
endanger the entire building. A num-
Der of city halls, auditoriums and pub
lie buildings have recently burned in
other cities, Notwithstanding the siren
uous efforts of the fire departments of
the several cities where they were lOca-
ted Among them was the auditorium
at Des Moines, Ia: the city hall at
Akron Ohio; the city hall at Bradford,
Pa, together with eleven other build
ings loss $4,000 and on Saturday last,
the city hall at Denver, Col, and with
in this building was the headquarters
fire station of the Denver fire depart
ment.
while we hope that we will meet
with no similar disaster in our own city.
r,<.+ -nrr hot Nrrrr fr1r-r moi
come. And L feel that we should use
every precaution, and safeguard that is
possible to avert it, and to make it less
liable to occur"
MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS.
The license ordinance was postponed
till December %. when a special meeting
will be held to consider it
The committee ways and means
did not report on the proposed increase
in pay for police officers.
Canon Bywater asked the council to
remit the special taxes on the Church of
the Good Shepherd, in North Topeka.
These taxes are for sidewalk, sewer and
the opening of Kistler street, and
amount to about $125.
Heads of departments will hencefortk
be required to attend the first council
meeting in each month.
The new rates adopted for the use of
the Auditorium after January 1, 1902,
are as follows: For II hours use, $50
where admission is charged or the meet
ing is secret; $40 where admission is
charged; for six hours use, $35 when
admission is charged, SIS when no adj
mission is charged.
Matilda Lloyd, the wife of Mr..
"Whitewings'' Thomas Lloyd, wrote a
pitiful letter to the council, saying that
her husband refuses to support her out
of the pay the city gives him. She wants
the city to make him divide up his sal
airy with her.
A petition from North Topeka, signed
by IS persons, asked for the creation of
a benefit district to open all the streets
and alleys west of Tyler and between
Railroad and st. John streets.
Whist Club Scores
The scores for last nights play at the