The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-19
SHALL THEY BE PAVED.
Question Concerning streets Petitioned
for Stm Unsettled.

II the city council lets the contracts
for the entire schedule of thtrty-tfsree
blocks this evening it viii face the
proposition Of having to raise the ta1
levy next fall from $685. to S6.z5, or
an increase Of from three quarters 10
enc and one-half cents on every dollar
Of assessed valuation.
The tax levy in 1903 was S5.12, in
1904 S5.25 and this year It is $3.50
With the contemplated paving Of kan
ass avenue and the proportion Wlllch
will accrue to the city together with
the thirty-three blocks of brick paving
the city viii be compelled to raise the
levy and take rank as next to the heaV-
lest taxed city in the state. Kansas
City at present leads with Topeka next
to the lowest. The city council seems
to have forgotten this.
1t is probable with these facts made
known an effort will be made IN the
body OF the council to have the amount
Of the paving cut down.
The city council has made an effort
to keep down the paving in the effort
to maintain the tax levy within bounds
Though the number of blocks this year
is not much in excess OF former years,
the paving viii come higher for the
reason that IN number OF instances
the width Of the paving is wider.
This is one of the most serious prop
ositions which the city council has met
up with and which has been lost sight
Of. Some of the paving petitions were
LQAA1El III WALAOUL dAAy ACal incentive
to urge them and it is probable that
these petitions can be dropped from
the list without any circumstances be
ing filed. The controversy as to the
legality Of the petitions and whether
they have been drawn up correctly per-
hitting competition viii be aired at the
council meeting this evening.
The city attorney claims they are
illegal and attorneys for the brick
manufacturing companies and the
T1TrhiTor fu1rn the nnnngifn
view.
Mayor w. II. Davis is securing some
private legal advice on the matter and
has taken into consultation Judge J. S.
West, formerly assistant attorney gen
eral Of Kansas.
If I can secure good unprejudiced
legal opinion on the matter I shall be
in favor of letting the bids this even
ing said the mayor decisively. 1T all
depends whether i get the opinions
that / am after. expect to secure a
number of opinions on the situation
here. still believe that the opinion
of the supreme court in the Kansas
City paving case has nothing to do
with the situation here, and that It
does not apply in the present instance
don't know whether we will have
any bids entered or not" said City En-
gineer James McCabe. THAT ifs
mean from the brick men rather
think we viii have a couple for Fort
Scott curbing. The Fort Scott Con-
struction company has sent in a sam
pie and / judge from this that they will
bid on the curbing in addition to Fred
webster. The construction company is
owned by Grant Hornaday.
7 don't believe that these petitions
are Illegal for in paving contracts let
IN past years We have specified directly
one kind Of brick in several instances
and those petitions were passed on by
a number Of good attorneys. attorneys
for the bond buying firms. In one in
stance we specified Capital City vitri-
fed brick and in another instance we
specified Allen county stone"