The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-23
BUSY MEETING.
Streets and Walks Committee
Will Hold Important Session.
VIII Consider Their New City
Ordinances Friday.
DRAY QUESTION UP.
Merchants Object to Sixth
Street Being Forbidden.
Want Vehicles TO Make Thor
Oughfare Seem Busy.
DRAY QUESTION UP.

Friday afternoons meeting of the
streets and walks committee win be a
busy one. At least three important
measures will be up for consideration.
Whatever action the committee takes is
likely to be ratified by the council
Namely, the things to be considered are
the hack and express wagon stand or
dinance, the Second street opening BEN
eft district ordinance, and the proposed
plumbers ordinance.
The important question of whether
the city or the express wagon drivers
are to have control over the business
streets is to be decided Just at the
present time the authority of the ex-
pressmen seems to be in the ascendency.
An ordinance has been passed and is
now in effect forbidding the use of East
Sixth street between Quincy and Kan
sas avenue by drays as a place to wait
for business, but the draymen are Sc
renely ignoring it's existence and have
induced the council to give them a
hearing for the repeal of the ordinance.
The question of drays or no drays has
come to be a subject of neighborhooc
controversy on East Sixth street, and
the friends and enemies of the ordi~
nance viii turn out in full force to pre-
sent their sides before the streets and
walks committee.
Councilman c. V. Wolf was instru-
mental in the passage of the ordinance.
He Keeps store on East Sixth street.
The block is constantly crowded with
the wagons of traders and those of ex~
pressmen. Occasionally a Would-b be
purchaser finds it impossible to get
through the line of drays to a store
and he drives away to one which is not
barricaded. Apparently when the or
dinance was passed the merchants on
East Sixth street were unitedly in favor
Of it. But it had no sooner gone into
effect than the draymen sent a repre-
sentative before the council with a Pc
tition containing about twenty names
OF alleged East Sixth street business
men who were in favor of letting tho
express wagons remain. AS there APP
peared to be a considerable division OF
opinion the council decided to give the
opponents of the ordinance another
hearing. and they will have it Friday
afternoon
grocer, takes a different view of the eff
feet Of the presence of the expressmen up
on his street, In telling why he signed
the petition to give the eXpreSSmen an
other hearing he said today:
The wagons standing on East Sixth
street give it a busy appearance. 1t
makes things look as though trade was ac-
tive and keeps things crowded. People
like to 90 where the crowd does, and I
think it makes trade better Trade has
never been better here than it is right
now. and think the express wagons help
way, but 1 was willing that the express
men should have a fair chance for their
side If they wanted it %
Councilman Wolf, well as most of
the other councilmen, is in favor of keep
ing the wagons on quiet streets and it is
doubtful if the rehearing of the proposition
will help the cause of the baggage smash
ers.
About the only possible outcome of the
fight on the Second street opening project
that has been worrying residents of the
Fourth ward and members of the council
for the past month will be its suspension
for another year. The proposition is to
open Second street between Fillmore and
Western avenue. The best judgment of the
council is that in view of the opposition
to the benefit district proposed for the
work, because ii is q small one, the who'll
matter ought to be laid over for another
year. when all the unopened streets in the
vicinity will be included in very large
district and opened for travel. AS it would
this district in this years tax rolls which
to be made up in August. and it is tor
late row to. accomplish that the whole
matter will undoubtedly be postponed unit
another year.
Councilman w. F. Weber is in favor Of z
reduction of the salary proposed in the
new plumbers ordinance to figure lower
than the 81 200 per arnum suggested. 9th
erwise Mr.. Weber likes the idea of tn,
ordinance. In speaking Of it today he said
1T seems to be good thing and a meas
ure which will give protection to property
owners and revenue to the city. Plumbing
Is a scieEce of which the average mar
knows little. and the free services of &
plumbing expert to house builders will b,
get a reliable man for the office. Of course
but the DriuCfple of the thing Is good