The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-19

Executive Council Considering Eu-
pIoyment Of Old Engineer.

Charges are being made against a.. r.
Maltby, the present engineer in charge
Of the state house and state heating
plant, and an effort is being made 10
have the executive council displace him.
and elect Al Mooney of Topeka 20 this
place.
Mooney has been making a vigorous
campaign among the members OF she
executive council, and is said to have
secured the promise of the support Of
T. T. Kelly, Seth O. Wells and J. r.
BuFFow, three members of the council
He needs one more vote to land him Ia
the place. and is said to have hopes oE
getting the support Of Governor Hoeh-
The charge IS made that Maltby haa
allowed the state heating plant to de-
teFioHata Wailadt7}aas been ia his charge
during tlTeuDagt tilfre years The paf-
tieular thing which has given rise to
this however. was the increase in the
bill for water used at the plant
About two months ago, the executive
council held up the bin Of the city q
Topeka for supplying the state vita
water. It was about twice as large az
the ordinary bill, and the council could
not understand It, An irNeatlgat ten
showed that it was due to two causes
For one thing. the executive council
had stopped taking ice for the ice va
ter tanks in the various offices Ihe
pipes which bring the city water into
the building pass through the basement
Of the state house next TO the steam
and hot wa ter pipes. The result was
that the water which the state house
employees had to drink was warm. 70
keep the water cool, it was necessary to
keep the faucets turred GA and the Wa
ter running all the time This caused
the bill to advance materially.
It was also discovered that the water
heater in the state heating plant had
gotten out of fix. and that water was
wasting out through the exhaust pipe
into the sewer. There was no way e
detect this leakage, and the hrst thar
was known Of it was when the excess
sively high water bin came in An in~
vestigation then snewsd the condition.
OF the heater It was then necessary 70
"eut out" the heater, because y eoala
not he repaired without shutting doAfE
the plant. Hence the state heating plant
is al present being epersted without the
use of TIE water heater and this IS one
If the charges which is made against
MaItby. It Is claimed that he has al
lowed the machinery to get out OF ser
vice and stand idle. When It ought re r
kent IN in shape Cor use.
Mr.. Maltby says that the charges
against him are not we'll founded ana
that he does not believe the plant th
his charge was ever kept in better
shape than it has been undeT mas aa-
ninistration. He said today;
when I came in the plant was q
DeDner box. It leaked steam profuseiT=
and I set to work and Hzen the feA9i@
thing up It is now in good shape.
and except for the natural wear and
tear on. machinery is IN better shaps
now than ii was three years ago We
now have two engines in shape re-
use all the time, and our boilers, wines
we're inspected a few days ago by a.
insurance company. we're pronounced
in excellent condition.
There is a good deal Of bitterness
in the Mooney Maltby fight because
Mooney was bumped cut of his job to
make place for Maltby with the same
lack of ceremony that Mooney IS now
trying to bump Maltby. The appoint
ment IS controlled by the executive
council. but under the system OF ap-
portionment which IS in vogue with
the council the position OF engineer
is filled by l. n. DaYhoff. the state su-
perintendent of instruction. Dayhof
named Maltby. and SO far as known
he has no intention Of going back on
him Afatby is a Hutchinson mar.
The job pays $1,000 q year.
Maltby's friends say that Burrow IS
not IN favor Of NooneY: that this talk
is all bluff. and that Mooney is using
It for the purpose Of getting other
members of the council to support
him Mr.. Burrow Is at present IN
Florida, and his statement could not
be secured