The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-11
ELECTRIC LIGHT.
Prompt Action Necessary if the
City Is To
Vote on Lighting Bonds at
Regular Election.
DELAY is COSTLY.
People Evidently Ready to Vote
Necessary Money.
Ii Commission Will Decide and
Handle 1t.

Mayor Green thinks the State Jour-
nal did him an injustice yesterday in
tntimating that the delays incident to
Preparations for extending the munich
pal lighting plant, is playing into the
hands of the Edison company and apt
20 make the people think that the city
administration may be favoring the
Edison company's proposition.
The State Journal has no wish what
ever to misrepresent the mayor and is
glad to quote from him in a statement
which he made today.
Nevertheless a delay. whether the
mayor is responsible for 1t or not is
the very thing the Edison company de-
sires- That company wishes to throw
the matter of an election for bonds
over to a special election after the reg
uIar election. Mr.. Myers. himself
made this suggestion to the committee
on electric lights. The resolution in
troduced in the Commercial club to
have a full detailed examination and
estimate made by a committee of that
organization was drawn up at the re-
quest of President Myers of the Edi-
son company.
President Jensen. however, has ap-
pointed an excellent committee and it
is hoped that the committee will make
an unbiased report and make it soon.
1t will be of far greater value if it
can be made next Friday evening than
If it is made later. The Edison COM
pany is endeavoring to control investi
cations and reports through both the
council and the Commercial club. There
Is absolutely no doubt whatever about
this.
The State Journal believes, however,
that both the council and the CONNER
cial club will act Independently from
any undue influence upon the part of
the Edison company. 1t has that con-
fidence in both the city administration
and the Commercial club.
The fact that seems to be lost sight
of is that it is not necessary and not
advisable for the city to wait for full
detailed and comprehensive reports
asked for before submitting a PROPOSE
ton to vote bonds to extend the light
ing plant, for the reason that the de-
tails and exact amount of money can
not be determined by a vote of the peo-
ple nor by experts nor by the council.
The mayor and council must decide
about what maximum amount of mon
ey is safely needed and then let the
electric light commission decide on the
details and decide how much money
will be necessary. There are several
different systems. There are the direct
current and the alternate system and
various kinds of lamps and dynamos
The cost will vary probably ten, fifteen
or twenty thousand dollars, and COM
mission must examine into these de-
tails, take evidence, use business judg-
ment and decide upon the expenditures.
It is sufficient for the council to
establish the commission, to instruct
the mayor to order an election and
specify a maximum amount, according
to its best judgment.
The present mayor and the present
council have been investigating this
matter now for a year and there are
some who would give US to under
stand that we are just starting in.
The Edison company would like to
have us always beginning, but never
doing anything. Nearly a year ago
the city had an examination and esti-
mate made by an expert The study
the mayor and councTi nave given to
the matter should convince them that
a maximum of $4,000 would give US
first class plant over and above what
we now have. Without any other
knowledge, the example of St. Joe.
which was personally investigated by
the mayor and several of the coun-
cilmen, makes it clear that $4,000 Is
ample. St. Joseph only voted $4,000
and out of that $4,000 they spent
about $4,000 for a new building,
furniture, fixtures and engine none OF
which Topeka needs. Furthermore,
st. Joseph is luxurious in it's facilities
Mr.. Myers of the Edison company
thinks the city of Topeka ought to ex-
pend $4,000. The Edison company
has two ambitions in this direction.
One is that the amount of the bonds
will be put so high that the people
will not vote the amoun, and will thus
look to the Edison com pany for light,
even if it would cost the city $27,5OO
per year. The other is that the CITY
may not vote on this proposition at
the general election, but vote on it at
a special election at q time when il
will be impossible to get a full express
sion of the people, and at time when
IT will be much easier to manipulate
ont
would vote against the extension OF
the municipal plant.
The council has commendedIv al
ready introduced resolution reuuirins
the drafting of an ordinance which will
put the electric light system IN ths
hands of commission, but action OF
that is just now in a state of innocuou.
desuetude.
City Attorney Dreaming being asked
today if he is drafting the ordinanc,
called for by Councilman Hughes res
olution said: THE mayor and I talked
1t over and decided to wait with tn,
drawing up until we found out whethe
we were going to have an electric ueh
plant or not"
There you are. We don't seem f,
know whether we have an electric Iieh
plant of not, and yet we have got some
thing which is producing light TO
about S53 per lamp per year and w
are paying the Edison company toda,
$65 per lamp per year for thirty-tw,
lights on Kansas avenue, which ar
not as brilliant as the city's $50 lights
The city attorney says that it will re
quire several days to draw up this ordi
nance. Well, what If it does. Further
more, the waterworks ordinance pro
viding for commission to run the wa
terworks plant was so carefully drawn
largely through the excellent efforts O
Mayor Green himself, then councilman
that it ought not to require a grea
deal of change to draft an electric ligh
er.yTo Ssif,T1 orf11n from II