The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-20
ODOR
Garbage Question Again Stares
City in the Face.
City Council May Have to Sup
press CrematOry.
ONLY ONE SOLUTION.
City Must Have Plant Of Own
Says Mayor.
Committee Surprises Managers
With a Visit.
DNLY ONE SOLUTION.

The trouble between the city Of To-
peka and the Topeka Crematory com
pany threatens to break out with all
it's old-time violence. The city council
and the board of health fought over
the matter the greater part of the
| spring and the summer when the
company came up for new contract
franchise ordinance. After several
| ordinances had been prepared and re-
jected and voluminous amendments
proposed, the board of health recon-
mended an ordinance for passage. The
city council then fought over the or
dinance, and after several months the
ordinance succeeded in going through.
The odor from the crematorY has
been the nucleus about which the
trouble and complaints have centered.
Residents in the First ware came be-
fore the city council with long list
of complaints, chief among these be-
ing the odor which came from the
plant. On the promise of the erec-
ton of a new plant built on approved
methods which did away entirely
with all doors, the council became
satisfied to permit the company to
continue in busine ss. Now residents
in Oakland have commenced to COM
plain, and within the last few days a
mum Der of the residents from the First
ward in Topeka. AS Oakland is an in
corporated town and the plant is stu
ated within the Oakland city limits,
proceedings are being instituted to
| declare the plant g. nuisance and have
it abated. But this is not the limit of
the trouble which is being precipi-
tated. The city council of Topeka
will take a hand in the proceedings
and attempt to take action on the
contract-ordinance Under the ordi-
nance the company binds itself to
keep its plant in a sanitary condition
and free from all odOr. A forfeiture
is contained in the ordinance under
which the contract can be annuIled by
the city council should the company
fail to live up to its agreement.
Mayor w. H. Davis and Councilmen
Holiday and Griley of the Second ward
went out to the plant Sunday evening
upon a tour of investigation. 1.-THE
plant was giving off an odor plain
enough" said c. K. Holiday. 1--WE
were locked up. This morning we
went out again but somebody must
have apprised the owners of our visit
the day before, for we found every
thing in good shape. There was no
fire in the furnaces, however, and
nothing was being burned. The prem
ises about the plant looked clean
enough for a rose garden. This gar
I don't believe that it will ever be
satisfactorily settled until the city
itself takes a hand and collects the
rubbish and garbage and disposes of
it. We have tried and tried to bring
things about where there would be
none of this complaint but it seems
impossible
4 representative of the company
said this morning: The complaints
are not we'll founded. They come
from just a few parties who are and
have been objecting all along. The
great mass of the people out there in
Oakland are complaining. Things are
all right out at the plant now and We
invite inspection"
DR.. PIummer, chairman of the city
board of health: 81 am not surprised
that this has come I'D. We have in
mum cradle instances of just this kind
of thing in the past they have given
promises and broken them. I was
I against the granting of the ordinance
because I didn't think that the plant
had any business being located near
the river bank and in close to the city
limits. 1t should be a half mile away
from the river bank and out where it
( is not surrounded by residences. Peo-
pie in North Topeka have been COM
planning about the odor. If the coun-
Gil is waiting for US to recomm end
that the contract be annulled before
they do anything, they Will get the
Recommendation in short order.
anything as far as the contract is con-
| cerned except recommend to the coun-
Gil that it be forfeited"
City Physician H. B. Hogeboom
! said: 'I have gone out to the plant
! on several occasions, the last time was
about a month ago. I found every
4 thing all right at that time. The fur
naees were going and they were burn
ing some refuse, but I could not de-
tect any odor I have not had any
body complain to me about the odor
though formerly had numerous
complaints made to me by people living
] in the Santa Fe shop district. I think
that this. crema tory question will never
{ be settled until the city runs the plant;
/ it's a white elephant"