The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-29
KEEP 1T OUT.
Councilman Green's Plea for
sNOnpartisanship in City.
Only Method to Manage the City
WaterWOrks.
A BOARD OF FIVE.
Why It Is Preferable to One Of
Three Members.
Baneful Effect Of Politics Al
ready Being Felt.
People Should Be Given Chance
TO Vote on the Question.
A BOARD OF FIVE.

Il believe" says Councilman Green,
That the council should get the water
works from under the influence of poll
ties as soon as possible. The manage
ment Of the plant under the direct in
auenee of the council viii mean failure.
Pressure is brought to bear upon the
members OF the council and politics be-
comes mixed into the management. Al
ready we are coming into contact with
this feature and it will continue to be-
come more prominent Here juse a few
days ago a citizen had a leak in his
plumbing near the meter. His bills be-
came large suddenly and he noticed the
defective plumbing. lie went to the wa
terworlss office and complained OF the
cost. Mr.. Shaw offered, after talking
over the situation, to divide the loss
with the man though the fault was
clearly that Of the citizen since II was
his own plumbing that was defective.
The man agreed to Mr.. ShaW's PROPOSE
ton. But here comes his councilman.
The councilman discovers what has &C
CURED. he is anxious to please a con-
6tituent and he says, There is no need
for you to pay that bill. III have the
waterworlzs take care Of that whole
cost. That's one Of the things which
has already occurred.
THE more I study this law passed by
A4AE lEE5 AeAdtukG RLOkluAIE luI the NJlAAAOl
Of the plant the better I like it. The
only objection that I find with it is
that it is not as specific as it might be.
The objection which Mr.. Howe and
some others have taken to the follow
ing cause: Upon the recommendation OF
said board of commissioners, the mayor
and council shall by ordinance fix such
rates for water fuel, power or light as
are recommended by said board pro-
vide for such employees as may be nee
essary to operate said plants or plant,
define their duties and fix their salaries
and when such employees are once ap-
pointed, they shall not be removed from
service except for ineficiency or neglect
of duty is not well taken in my optn-
ion Mr.. Howe is of the opinion that 1t
gives too much authority to the board
of commissioners. That they fix the
rates and have charge of the employees.
But the mayor and council still have the
final authority, they can under the first
section of the statute which says that
the board Of commissioners shall Op-
crate the waterWorks fuel. power or
lighting plant or either, under such
rules and regulations as the mayor and
council may by ordinance prescribe,
govern the matter of rates and en-
ployes, so that after all the council viii
still nave vested in itself the source
of the authority which the board Of
commissioners may WELD.
Then again if the matter of rates
should be left at the discretion of the
council and mayor it would be subject
to the caprice of politics. just the
Tremendous pressure will be brought
to bear upon the cOuncilmen and rates
will ductuate. Constituents Of the
cOunciImen will desire to be employed
and you will have politics rampant.
Should BE Five Men.
At believe that the board of com
missioners should be composed Of five
men instead of three, then they could
take over the. electric light plant I'M
der their management as we'll. The
electric light plant shows how things
are run when the council has direct
charge There are portions of the
town not lighted at all that should
have light and other portions that
have lights which do not need them
But if the council should step in and
remove some of these lights and place
them in the places where they are
really needed howl would imme-
diately be raised and the councilmen
could do nothing. But if the board of
commissioners. were in charge this
would not have the effect. The board
will be appOintive, they will be ap-
pointed by the mayor. They are not
subject to politics, they are not there
to please constituents but to work for
the best interests of the whole town.
They will be men who from their So
cial and business standing viii not be
effected by politics as a councilman
lights over the city as the city needed
them and this present state of affairs
would not exist. A board of five COM
nlissioners is better than a board of
three because no mayor would have
the appointment of a majority of the
board he could only appoint two dur
ing his term. Three out of the men
five men will always be men OF ex~
perienee that is. they win have seen
service on the board and viii be ac-
quainted with the duties. It is not
like a board of three where two out of
the three are always in each ad-
ministration new men.
The Necessary Changes.
1.-THE way it is being run now with
the waterworks committee in charge
may not prove so faulty with the pres
ent committee in charge but this com
mittee viii be in power only for this
one year, the committee for the COM
ing year viii in all probability be 4
new committee. All three of the
cOuncilmen on that committee have
their term of Office expire next spring
No committee can take charge and
work out a definite plan of manage
ment of extensions and see it to an
end. The one committee may start
out all right and the. next committee
comes along and believes that plan
outlined by the other committee was
not the best and proceeds to alter it.
You have chaos
THE board Of commissioners must