The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-21
THE AWFUL DOGS.
Result of Mayor Hughes Plan
of Moving on CANNES.
Cost More Per License Than
the Old Way.
| u OUT.
One Good Man Better Than Half
Dozen Poor Ones.
Records of the Collectors During
the Past Year.

One of the chief boasts Of Mayo
Hughes' administration has been the
great saving n the cost of collecting
dog tax under the plan followed by him.
The final report of dog tax collecting
for the year 1901 shows that under
Mayor Hughes plan it cost S7.5 cents to
collect for each one of the 1929 licenses
issued, while for the year 1900 the cost
of collecting each license was 800 cents.
Mayor Hughes plan was TO dlVloe the
work up among six different men, N
order to satisfy as many patriots VINO
had worked for him in the
as possible. Formerly it has been the
custom to allow one man to collect the
dog tax. The pay for dog tax col
lector under either system was sou a
month. .,,
Under the Hughes system, it cost 1851
to collect 1929 licenses, which represent
ed a cash income of $2.025-
Under the old system, 1t cost $3.50 TO
collect 1852 licenses. representing a casn
income of 1886. The figures are for the
years 1901 and 1900, respectively.
The Hughes collectors were lucky IN
finding more female dogs to collect tax
ON han was the collector appointed by
Mayor Drew. Male dogs bring II apiece
female. IS; Under Mayor Drew. CO..
apiece from only six female dogs Under
Mayor Hughes, the collectors secured 20
apiece from 40 female dogs. THIS
brought up the cash total of the
collectors considerably, and enables
them to make a better showing on the
collection of cash than the Drew col
lector. 1t cost 35.4 cents to collect each
dollar nder Mayor Drew, and 1873 TO
collect each dollar under Mayor Hughes
If all the Hughes collectors had made
as good a record as did M B.
the present engineer at the city build
ing, the record of the whole would be
much better than 1t is. Mr.. Younkin
worked four months at $50 a month, and
collected 1921. This is at the cost of 1922
1antS for zach dollar collected. BE-
sides, Mr.. Younkin killed, during the
four months which he worked, 125 fe-
male dogs and So male dogs which had
no owners willing to put up the price
of a license.
Nels Mcconnell, who was at work for
| four months in 1901, two months under
Mayor Hughes, also made a good snow
The following show the amounts
turned in by various collectors for the
year 1901:
| Nels Mcconnell. 4 months.......$ 491.0 90
M. E. Younkin, 4 MONTHS. 621-OO
Marion Sheldon, 1M MONTHS. 2S9-0O
J. B. Jones, 2 months.......... zao.oo
J. H. Ream, 1 month-...-..--..- 156-0o
Ed Stoner, 1 132O0
T n Weed. one week... 900
| Office collections 107. 90
Total collected for 1901 ....... 50, OPS. 90
During the year the various dog tax
collectors nave killed 30S stray dogs,
which could not find a friend to pay
the license
The Hughes experiment has conclus-
lively demonstrated one or two things
that one good man collecting dog tax
would be better thar half a dozen poor
ones. 1t has shown that there have in
past years been hundreds of dogs in
Topeka which escaped paying the tax.
The one-man system is the most eco
nomical method of collection, provided
the right man can be given the job. APP
parently the right man has so far never
had the lob.
Mayor Hughes collectors turned into
the city treasury a net revenue of d,S3S.
treasury a net revenue of 1886. The in
crease in revenue under Mayor Hughes
has been at the expense of economy,
and If next year the two can be COM
bfned, the net revenue to the city ought
to reach about $1,000 from the one item
of dog licenses