The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-11
NO FREE WATER.
Schools viii Have to Pay Like
Other Institutions.
Heretofore There Has Been No
Charge Made.
MALLORY FAVORS 1T.
President Of Board Says 1t Is
Only Right.
Members of City Council Also
Advise a Change.
FAVORS 1T.

No free water for the schools Of To-
peka. This is the action which the board
OF waterworks trustees will take as soon
as the installation of the meters has
been completed in the various school
buildings os the city.
In the past the schools have been
supplied with water free of charge and
no account has been kept of the amount
used.
The first step which was taken by the
board of waterworks trustees to check
.. useless Consumption of the water was
the order issued to the board of eduea-
ton instruoting them that meters must
be installed
This order was agreed to- upon the
part Of the board OF education at its
November meeting but the installation
mas not yet commenced. When the
meters have been placed action -lill then
be taken requesting that the board Of
education to pay for the cost of the wa
Ter used by them in the city schools.
81 think that there will be no question
but the board will be willing to stand
for q charge for the water used If the
city is paying for water used by it, said
Rev. T. =. Mallory, president OF the
board OF education. Though the matter
has not been discussed directly 1t has
been generally considered by the board
that it would be only right to pay II
Ehe city was continuing to pay hydranV
rentals ] have never talked with the
members Of the board upon this subject
hut this seems to be the attitude Which
they take. We are going ahead With
Ehe order to place in meters
There certainly can be no justice or
Aquity in the city exenptlng certain ue-
uartrnents and charging others sara
Councilman VIM. Green, chairman OF
the council committee on Waterworks.
The city is taxing itself for the water
it uses for fire purposes for theaNarlous
buildings and for flushing the streets.
RV1v should We permit the city schools
to use water nee of charge or for that
matter the park board? Both OF these,
the board of education and The oOard OF
park commissioners should pay for the
svater used in their departments II
they. complain Of a lack of money they
should restrict their expenditures so
that they might be able to pay this tax
There should be no eXtraVaganI appIO-
priation of moneys and the eApeIdl-
fures should keep pace With the income.
oThe citizens of Topeka certainly
should not be comRstlaa - So Mi{hout
q reduction in them wafer rates be-
cause we are furnishing ee water 10
Two of the departments taxes snoulu
ne reduced il possible and ii by the
having Of water rental the park board
and board of education can nelp tilat
brought dOOuls is lil6 LlAAla7
which should be done. DOM know
whether we can charge them for the
use of water but it should be done
c. r. Jewell, of the board Of trustees
said: That's a matter which Will be
brought up when the meters are placed.
1T will be UP to the council to say what
shall be done. AS far as we are cor
eerned the ordinance is very explicit
it states that no city department shalI
be allowed the free use of water i
don't believe that we should charge d
rate in excess of the cost of pumpage
But there should be charge so that
the water we furnish is not a dead loss
don't know how the board of educa-
ton feels about it. There was a lot OF
water used by these schools and IS YET;
with the meters on TINS viii be cut
down. Still the city should get pay
rnent for every bit of water it furnishes
we have not bought a gold brick in this
vaterwOrks plant. 1t is true that We
paid too much for it and that we made
= bad bargain. I believe though that
with careful management and atten-
tion to details the plant VIII pay lot IT.
selL
let llg 20 on that 2 per cent sinking fund
proposition. The ordinance PROVIDES InaL
we must provide for a sinking fund OF
2 per cent on the gross Indebtedness or
the plant. This amounts 70 $lZ,4OO q
wear I think the council Will have 10
arrange for some plan by which we can
be permitted to pass that up Tor about
Two years 1t is necessary because we
have some heavy expenses to meet IN
these additions which we are construct
ing to the plant. These viii have to
be paid for at once. They consist Of the
addition to the engine room, the new
boiler house the two new boilers, the
new driven we'll points and the remoY-
al Of the choke After that we Will be
in shape to take care of the necessary
improvements through the hydrant rem
tsls.
81 am not i'm favor of allowing the
Harrison street station to be disman-
tied / don't think that we viii per
init that. IT should be kept in cOndl-
riOn and utilized for emergencies. A test
of the plant should be made of the en-
-5gine and boilers once each year 1t VIII
MT take any steady help. There are a
great many instances where it is pos
Fible that the plant up the river might
have to be shut down for several days
in that event the Harrison street sta
ton would fill the breach
ct don't think there is any intention
Of the board of education to shirk the
payment of their water rental" said
superintendent Jesse Shaw of the wa
ferworks department "I couldn't say
how much water is consumed by the
schools or what it would represent ii
money ] have no conception, what
ever lis is a large amount though"
All departments OF the city should
pay alike. said Councilman Howe
chairman of the ways and means com
raittee mo city department should rs
Disseminated against and they should
all pay alike
II certainly believe that the proper
procedure would be TO make the city
schools pay for the water used by
them
To PIT, NFFRTVEvTTFFR BACK.