The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-24
THEIR LATEST HOPE.
Insurance Trust May Have Another
Plan for Keeping Up Rates.

The United States circuit court will
be invoked to give the city of Topeka
good water service and fire protection
AS soon as Judge Pollock returns from
his vacation in the north, which will
be about September ), he viii be Wis
listed by committee from the Com
Trercial club, to be composed of ex-
tensive property holders on Kansas
avenue, which will ask him to instruct
Receiver o. ]. w. O'Ne1ll of the To-
peka water company to give the city
such water service as 1t is being paid
for. and such as it has contracted to
provide
Secretary Anderson of the CONNER
cial club made that statement this
morning. THAT will be done at once,
said the secretary. I'VE simply must
have better fire protection. That is
all there is to it. Just now the whole
proposition is tied up in knots legally.
In the meantime the city must be pro-
water service and we must have it.
The Commercial club VIII send a rep
resentatIve committee to wait upon
Judge Pollock in regard to the matter
as quickly as he gets back from the
.northf where he is taking his vaca-
ton We want the court to order, to
instruct, if you please. the water COM
pany as to what it must give the city
OF Topeka We know then that it will
be done The receiver is appointed by
the court and he is answered. to the
court
THE committee has not vet been
appointed. The Official board has that
matter in charge. The selection will
be made within a few days so that
the members will be ready to take UP
the subject at once with the courts
It might be ascertaiHed if trouble
had been taken that the fire service
has been very good since the Park
hurst Davis fire. What is needed is
protection from the insurance trust.
The city council instructed City At
torney Spencer on Monday to take steps
to have the title perfected. NIr. Spencer
was asked to confer with interested at
torneys to so arrange with the court
that the liabilities of the water COM
pany may be hquidated from the pro-
ceeds of the sale. and that the transfer
OF the plant to the city shall not be
hindered by any of the obligations. Mr.
Spencer has not yet taken up the mat
ter but will do so shortly.
Consequently the city council and the
Commercial club are working together
to provide the city with water service
OF satisfactory quality as quickly as
possible. Both bodies realize that the
delay which is now being enforced
upon the city gives a big loop-nole for
the wafer company to do as it pleases
The business men are demanding the
protection to be adequate and the court
will be asked to see that ii is made so
Just how Judge Pollock will take care
OF the matter is of course mere conjec-
ture- Receiver O'Neill was appointed
by the federal tribunal in this city and
Is naturally in a sense his subject The
court therefore is in full power to give
the water company instructions. Just
how the court would determine what
proper fire protection for this city is
would bring up another question alto
gether- Some sort of an intermediary
would have to be appointed to see that
Receiver O'Neill is following the courts
instructions 1t would be interesting to
Know just what the title of such an
onicer OF the court would be- 1t looks
as II the insurance combine is trying to
blind the people and to find another ex-
cuse for robbing them.