The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-20
COUNCIL SAYS NO
Refuse to Let People Vote on
WaterwOrks Management.
The Death Knell of NOnparti-
san Control.
TALK OF THE POWER.
Fear the Board Would Have Too
Much.
Councilman Howe Leads Fight
on Proposition.
HOW THEY VOTED.

!
Howe, Simms,
Sinner, Ryder.
Holiday
Absent
Griley, Hughes.
| The city council is jealous of its auth
GRITTY. It refused last night by the
above vote to turn the management of
! the city water plant over to a non
/ partisan board in accordance with the
state law. This law provides that the
question of management be submittedto
the voters of the city but the council
refused to permit the question to be
submitted
This leaves the management of the
plant in the hands OF the council and
! defers any further attempt to adopt the
state law until next spring at the least.
The ordinance introduced by S. T. Howe
a year and half ago and subsequently
considered will furnish the basis upon
which the management of the plant viii
! be arranged. The city attorney. together
with the waterworks committee were
instructed last night to draw up an or
dinance providing for the management
Of the plant.
The opposition to adopting the state
law as led by Councilmen Howe. Ryder
and Holiday and the plan for adopt
ing an ordinance in lieu of the state law
/ was the one advanced before, that the
| commissioners would have too much
! power to fix rates and govern extern
! siOns.
Miscellaneous Matters.
The Marsh Bridge company who
are building the north end of the
Melan arch bridge. asked the city
! council for an extension of their time
! limit from July 1 to August Is. The
Marsh Bridge company claimed that
! they have been delayed by high water
at four different times.
A penalty of $40 a day is assessed
| under the terms of the contract for
every day beyond the time limit of
July 1.
Councilman Sinner moved to extend
| the time limit.
L. A. Ryder. councilman from the
I First ward, opposed the extension and
said: Il have passed over that bridge
/ every day in the week and I know
that the contra ctors have idled. When
they had plenty of time to rush the
work and put on extra gangs they
took their time
The motion when put lost. Council
men Sinner and Simms We're the only
members voting in favor of granting
an extension. The Marsh Bridge
company will therefore have to pay
a penalty of $40 day for every day
that their contracts exceed July 1.
Action on the crematory contract of
the Topeka Desiccating company was
deferred last night at the streets and
walks committees meeting until the
return of Councilman Griley from the
west. The committee recommended
that the $50 a month charge for tax
ing care of the offal at the city build
ings be eliminated. The Desfccating
company retorted that they would not
accept a contract that did not have
the charge.
The city engineer submitted esti-
mates to the city council for the re-
pair of the various bridges over the
city. The estimates are in accord
ance with the annual inspection of
bridges and the recommendations for
repairs which follow such inspection.
The total cost of repairs amounts to
$143.5O and are divided as follows:
Fourth street, S36; Lake street
$3.50; Sixth avenue S36: Fifteenth
street. $40: Monroe street and Euclid
avenue, IS; French creek on Twenty
first street, S33. The estimates have
been referred to the streets and walks
committee.
The following appropriation ordi-
nance was passed. to meet the inter-
est upon certain bonds which fall due
July I, 1905:
Street and alley paving. $45,375.3S
Bond interest fund - S4S49O
Sewer bond fund - 617212
Sewer bond interest fund. 2,341.56
Sinking bond fund .... $4,000 90
Interest coupon fund ~ 12,31S5O
| Waterworks bond interest
fund $3.50. ... . $4,000
Total ..... .$s5.442.41
The request of the G. A r., Lincoln
Post asking for a refund of $500 for
: rental of the Auditorium. June 3rd, was
> granted.
r The city engineer by resolution, was
= instructed to submit to the council. an
e estimate of the cost for the repair and
Improvement of Kansas avenue from
t | Gordon street to the north end of the
= Melan arch bridge. This resolution is in
S line with the previous one which in
n structed the city engineer to prepare
f a similar estimate for Kansas avenue
o from First street to Tenth street.
!. A resolution was introduced and re-
d ferred to the gas and electric lights
l. committee looking to the arrangement
u of electric lights upon the MeIan arch
e bridge, the cost not to exceed $4,000
The resolution introduced instructina
If the street commissioner to remove the
Is street stand at the southwest corner OF
n Sixth and Kansas avenue, was referred
to the judiciary committee.
Y. L. S. Arthur. pastor of the New
% Hope Baptist church. colored. is il. sor
d straits. The members of the chIIrcl
Iy gave an entertainment at the Auditor
ium recently and only took in At III
door $3.50, while SIS was paid out for TIA
rental of the hall. Mr.. Arthur nov
wants his SIS back and asks the cit
Il council to take action The Commute
on public buildings win take the mat
a ter under consideration.
y. The renort Of +ba s+.oo.-
lg cornroiftea econ, ~ altq Walk
"a sas avenue, Chandler street and Va
sr Buren, street bridges over the Shunga
l. nunga creek be raised at an expense G
e. $323.7S was adopted.
I'd
The council win meet Friday, June 81