The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-16
Members of City Council Discuss
the WaterwOrks.
Management Must Be Kept on
Business Basis.
NO PLANS ARE READY.
New Charter Act Was DOctOred
to Discourage City Control.
Committee May Be Named to
Draw Up Resolutions.

Eleven members of the city council
expressed themselves today as being
heartily in favor of eliminating politics
from the management of the city water
works under municipal control This
is what they say:
DR.. L. A. Ryder, First ward: Put
civil service rules of some sort into the
ordinance. Take the water plant out
of politics just as far as possible. This
is the only way the city can make
success of the undertaking. The city
should supply people with water at
cost, after allowing a reasonable mar
gin for extensions and maintenance"
S. r. Kutz, First ward: THE water
works should be managed very much
as the electric light plant is managed,
with the additional feature of civil ser
vice. We don't want each change in
administration to make a clean sweep
of the employees. The waterworks
should be kept in control of the coun
Gil, however"
Joseph Griley, Second ward: 1--WE
don't want our waterworks run like
they ran them in my old home, Zanes-
vile. There every man who had pull
could get the water mains extended to
his premises. We should have our wa
terworks controlled by board of trus-
tees, elected by the people of the city
one each year. All politics should pe
strictly eliminated
e B. Snyder, Second ward: 'I think
that the city council should keep con-
troll OF the WaterWOrkS, and not trans
fer it to any board. Civil service might
be a good thing, but have not decided.
OF course we want to keep politics out
of it, and we should put the fire depart
ment and electric light department un-
der the same control
C. V. Wolf, Third ward MY idea
would be to have the mayor appoint a
commission composed of both Republic
cans and Democrats, holding office for
three year terms, one being elected
each year. This water commission
should be left free by the. council to
run the waterworks on purely nol-
George Neil, Third ward, was out OF
town today, and could not be inter-
viewed.
W. F. Weber, Fourth ward: 1.-The
waterworks should be controlled by
board of three men, appointed first by
the mayor, and subsequently elected,
one each year. This board should be
entirely independent of the COUNCIL
making its report to the council only
once a year. Everything connected
with water service should be handled
exclusively by this board, including the
finances. The only objection 1 see to
placing the electric light plant under
the same board is that the city council
pays out the money direct for running
this plant and there is no income"
Luther Nellis. Fourth ward: by all
means keen the waterwOrks out of pol
itics. A small number of people should
run the Waterworks business. and the
work should be entirely nOnpartiSan. /
should think that a board of three ap-
pointed by the mayor would be all
right"
Samuel T. Howe. Fifth ward: "A
water board should be created and
paid the same as the council. I don't
believe in city ownership. but if we are
going to have city ownership, this is
the way it should be managed. The
question of politics should be divorced
as far as possible from the manage
ment of the Dlant'
James c. Sinner: 1.-The waterworks
Should be conducted on a strictly non
partisan basis. My idea is that the
mayor and council should appoint the
superintendent but [ am not sure this
way would be as good as the appoint
ment of a board to take charge of it
all. really have not thought much
about it,
S. A. Swendson, Sixth ward: Il don't
know what authority the state laws
give us, but favor a board of water
commissioners If we can have one. We
should also have law for civil service
In all departments of city government
1 doubt very much whether the laws
as they now stand are adequate to our
needs"
George w Tincher. Sixth ward.
mere should be a board organized
like the city park board. Leave II to
this board to enforce civil service rules
and keep the department out of poli-
TICS. It depends much on the superin-
tendent and 1 want to say right now
that am Tor Jesse Shaw for superin-
tendent''
NEW STATE LAWS NEEDED.
Apparently about the first thing the
city needs in preparation for its man
agement of the waterworks is a new
lot of state laws concerning such
things. Under the existing statutes, it
is serious question whether cities
have any right at all to own or control
waterworks plants.
There is a general provision in the
law which gives the city the right to
appoint all officials needed for the
proper management of its various de-
partments. 1t is likely that under this
law, all changes must bemade. 1t would
seem to bar out any civil service regu-
lattons and prevent the proposed pop
ular election of water board.
City Attorney Spencer says: THE
question of the Management of the
plant may not come up for final settle
ment for some time, and I have not
made a careful study of it yet. MY
idea is that the city council can make
almost any arrangements it pleases,
but it has no authority to provide for
any elective officers. Moreover, what
the council might do could be entirely
undone simply by repeating the ordi-
nance What we need is some new laws
covering this situation
Mayor Bergundthal says: "It is hard
TO tell what should be done, or just
what We have authority to do. The fire
department has been kept out of poll
tics simply by the individuality of
Chief Wilmarth. I believe that man.
agement of the Waterworks by board
is the best plan. First we may have
to get some new laws passed by the
legislature. When we get such a board
to working, We should consolidate the