The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-09
THE WATER QUESTION.
Lots of Talk, but Same Old
Thing, Nothing Done.

A special meeting of the city coun-
ell VIII probably be called for Tuesday
evening to take up the waterworks
question. H. S. Nichols, chairman of
the waterworks committee. stated to-
day that a special meeting Of his COM
mlttee would likely be held tom orrows
and that he was formulating a plan of
compromise to be suggested TO the COM
mfttee- The committee may decide to
hold its meeting in connection with the
whole council Tuesday evening.
Councilman Nichols was in eonsulta-
ton with Mayor Parker this morning,
and it was admitted that the water
Neither Mr.. Nichols or Mayor Parker
would give any hint as to the nature
of the proposed compromise, but when
It IS announced, 1t will likely come with
the Endorsement of the mayor
The reason for holding the meeting
Tuesday night is that Mayor Parker
wishes to leave for a trip Of several
weeks duration IN Colorado as soon as
possible He has planned to start Tues
day night or Wednesday.
1t is pretty well assured that the coun-
ell is ready to accept the company,s
proposition to sell for $3.50, 600. Some
other counter proposition viii be sub
mitted to the company It is possible
that the council viii be willing to sub
init the whole question to a third en-
gineer and agree to abide by his de-
cisiOn.
The water company has officially an
nounced its willingness to accept any
Of the following plans for settling the
difficulty:
1. Sell its plant for $3.50, 900.
2. Reduce its rates practically to the
amount fixed by the water-rate ordi-
nance now pending in the courts.
3. Leave the question of value to a
! third engineer, who can be selected by
the city and approved by the company,
| who shall check over the figures made
| by former engineers.
4. Allow some court to appoint three
I appraisers who shall prepare an esti-
mate on the value of the plant.
J w O'Neil, who now signs himself
| general manager" of the water COM
/ pany, but who technically is the re-
/ ceiver of the corporation, says: THE
company is willing to sell, and has been
willing to sell all the time. All we ask
| is q fair price. I do not have any au-
/ thority to say so. but my impression is
/ that it would be useless for the city to
offer the company less than $780, 00 But
we are willing to submit the question
to appraisers
H. S. Nichols, of the waterworks COM
mittee, thinks that there is no prospect
| Of the city's agreeing to pay S650,000 for
4 the plant With several other mem bers
of the council. he declares that it would
! cost about $3.50, 600 to extend the mains
/ of the water company to the dry dis
/ tricts, thus making a total expense to
| the city for the plant of 100000.
Mayor Parker said today: Il have
! been talking to some of the cOuncilmen
! and if I find there is a sentiment in ia
vor of it, will call a special meeting
/ of the council I am in favor Of hur-
| rying this thing along. My object is to
settle the matter, and settle it quickly
There is great risk every day the ques-
| ton remains unsettled.
| 1.-THE city council does whole lot Of
/ talking without taking much action. We
/ don't mean this council in particular,
! bf1f other councils What the r7nnnln in
/ the thickly settled dry districts want
/ is water; what the people in the rest Oe
I the city want is reduction in the rates.
I They would have obtained this 20 per
/ cent reduction five years ago if the city
/ had followed wise counsel instead of
/ litigation to no purpose.
It should be borne in mind that the
| water consumers Of Topeka are paying
hundreds of dollars every month as q
! legal fund to enable the Water company
to fight for its rights. The Water COM
pany, UP to this date, has won every
| contest and, much as we hate to admit
/ it, seems to have some rights the city is
/ bound to recognize.
This paper confesses it cannot see why
several of the couneilmen oppose a set
Element of the question on the ground.
as they declare. that it would cost
/ $3.50 COO to extend the mains to the dry
1 districts, thus making a total expense
to the city of $500 000''
In the first place, If it costs $3.50, 900 to
/ extend a few mains and the city only
wishes to pay $550,000 for the whole
Il plant, the pumping station, the mains
and hydrants all over the greater por-
/ ton Of Topeka, the city must be getting
+ q tremendous bargain if it means to ad
init that it will cost half that for some
mere extensions. Furthermore, we do
not see what this has to do with the
/ case. We are not buying extensions
but the plant itself
Several of the councilmen seem to
think that If the city owns the water
plant that 1t must extend the pipes to
every nook and corner of the city at
once. This is preposterous for several
reasons. If the city owns It's own water
/ system, as it is voted to do. 1t should
conduct it as a business enterprise and
/ furnish consumers with the water W here
q fair revenue could be assured It
can extend its mains to protect all set
tied parts of the city, without even run
ming them to the extreme outskirts, by
the use of long lines of hose.
Several counciIrnen seem to be debat-
i ing the question whether or not the city
should own its own plant.
What IS the use in thrashing this old
subject over and over again2 The people
of Topeka settled that question several
| years since They decided to own their
| own system Let us talk about something
/ else and get down to business.
Several Of the councilmen talk as if they
would favor an extension Of the franchise
/ if the rate We're reduced about % per cent.
This shows lack Of information upon the
part OF those VINO should know me Wa
/ ter company would have given reduction
| Of 20 per cent five years ago if the city
had shown a disposition to settle differ
ences outside of the courts.
President Street told the city several
months since that the company would put
in a 20 per cent reduction if the city would
simply say that it would start to settle
/ the differences, whatever they were. in a
/ business-lize manner, by arbitration or
other agreed method. That's what the
city viii have to do eventually anyway,
unless the two parties can agree. If the
city is going to litigate we may rest as
sured that we will be paving 20 per cent
I
and years to come until all details are set
tied in all the courts high and low
LOCAL MENTION.
Irene Spendlove, Bertha Jackson and
Jennie Hutchinson. inmates of the