The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-02
City Attorney Dreaming Places
Revenue at $4,000.
THEY TALK TT OVER.
New Ordinance Submitted to
Electrical Men.
Provides That Electricians and
Linemen Must Be Examined.

wiring done in the city was submitted |
for approval by City Attorney Dren-
ming to representatives from the indie |
pendent Electrical Construction COM |
pany, the Jordan Electrical Construc-
ton company, the Overton Manufacture |
ing company, c. E. Eldridge of the |
Kansas Fire Insurance Inspection bu-
reau, Councilmen Simms and Holiday
and Fire Marshal Wilrnarth, at a meet
ing held last night.
In the main the ordinance met with
the approval of those present. A num-
Der of changes were recommended and
these will be included in the ordinance
when it is presented to the council for
passage Monday evening. Upon the rec
ommendation of the construction COM
panies it was decided that all line men
and electricians employed In the city
shall be compelled to pass an examina-
ton by an examining board which shall
consist of the city electrician and two
others who have not yet been designa-
ted. The examination will be based on
the code of requirements laid down by
the insurance companies.
After having passed this examination
the electricians and linemen will be
compelled to pay a certain stated fee.
The amount of this fee has not yet been
determined upon. "It will bring up
wards of $500 a year into the city treas
ury," said the city attorney speaking
with reference to the amount that the
fees would return.
The proceeds from the whole inspec-
ton should bring close to $1,000 a year
into the city, he continued. Mr.. Maun-
sell told me that it would take the at
tention of one mans time entirely and
that he would be compelled to have the
assistance of another man during per-
iods of rush. He assured me that it
would be self-sustaintng and / believe
it will. There are upwards of 1,250 jobs
Of ola IDOL ion m he Inr1a a n
nuaIly in this city and these would
bring in considerable revenue.
with the fees and the addition of
tax upon the insurance companies the
city should be able to get out enough
from it to make it more than pay. I
believe that these insurance companies
should be made to bear part of the
burden. They are benefited by it. 1t
reduces the risk for them and they
should bear the burden like the rest.
| We have had number of changes IN
troduced in the ordinance since 1t was
first drawn up. We make 1t possible
| for the fire marshal to condemn and
| tear out certain old wiring where it is
| found to be dangerous and liable to
give rise to fire. The rates met the
approval of those who attended the
meeting last night The only addition
| they made to these was where one or
| two drop lights are put in. The in
spection rate for this has been placed
at rs cents.
st believe that temporarily at least
we will have to have a number of in
spectors The opinion expressed by
those who were there was that two
men should be regularly employed a
| greater part of the time. That the
! city electrician be employed the year
around and that an assistant be ap-
pointed to assist during the buster
periods
Councilman William Green has sug-
gested that a new city department be
| tod 70 Io II oe he inc
department under which head all the
inspection of electrical wiring, plumb
ing and meters would be placed. THE
plan has not yet been crystalized by
me" said he. "But the thought has
come to me as one of the ways of get
ting out of the difficulty. I believe
that it would be possible to place a
practical and scientific man at the
head of such a department and place
these inspections in his charge
should think that it would be possible
to get some cheaper man than we now
have to do the plumbing and still an
spection. OF course 1 haven't looked
into the matter yet but that's the way
it has impressed me-
/ The plumbers, however, claim that
it is not possible to get a good man
under from $1,000 to 5000 year. The
city now pays $1,000.
ANY plumber can earn 81 a day
now without any effort" said one plum
Der, land he would be foolish to take a
job as inspector at $50 or $50 a month.
You can't get a good man for that price,
you can't get any one that knows any
thing about the trade.
There is going to be plenty of work
for inspectors when they start to put
in this natural gas and when we have
passed this ordinance calling for the
inspection of all the plumbing before il
is turned on" remarked City Attorney
Dreaming. 1T will at least take from
f0.1-- a. hot F0v
there will be thousands of connections
and pieces of plumbing work which
will have to be inspected, and that in q
hurry, too, because the ordinance will
provide that all plumbing must be in
spected before the natural gas can be
turned on. If the inspection is not made
an explosion is apt to occur from the
presence of a leak. OF course the en-
ployment of inspectors for this plumbing
will be only temporary"
Chas. f. Eldridge when asked if there
was any chance that the insurance
rates would probably be reduced in
consequence of the establishment of this
office of electrical inspector said: RE.
auctions are being made right along
, where imperfections in the wiring are
. being eliminated Whenever that occurs
we always make reduction in the risk
We point out the places where such i'm
projections exist and recommend that
| they be remedied We cannot make
any reduction in the rates simply or
account of the esta blishment of the
office of a city electrician however,
The ordinance providing for the in
spection of meters, electrical, water
gas and steam heat, has been prepared
The ordinance provides that a deposit
of 81 be made by the individual asking
for an inspection of his meter. If this
meter reads faster than 2 per cent the
81 is returned and the cost of the in
spection, one dollar, is paid by the com.
pany If it does not exceed 2 per cent
the 81 is forfeited by the consumer. II
testing arc lamps If they are found Il
consume more than $50 watts per hour
the electric light company owning the
lamp is forced TO make a repair in
, same No arc lamp must register IL
excess of SIS watts per hour. For al
arc tests the consumer shall pay to tbs
city treasurer the sum OF 81 per houl