The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-15

all of them are old soldiers drawing
pensions. The street force is shifted
and scattered around among the
friends of the politicians in the same
manner as the officers on the police
force. One gang will work so long,
lay off and then the other gang takes
the shovel-alI of them receiving pay
from the abused taxpayers.
All in all the situation in Kansas
City is in bad straits, says the city
attorney. The rawness of the work
of the politicians and the crudeness
the commission form of government.
But the people and the taxpayers
are fooled by the slick manner of
covering up the extra help and the
city poses as an example of excel
lent municipal control.
Topeka is not worried with con-
i}itions of this kind--in fact the pol
ftics of the street men and the police
men are not known. A fight between
councilman and the street COM
missioner in open council not long
ago displayed the real issue OF this
inistrati0n-clean. straightfor-
ward and honest. But this does not
prove that Topeka could not be az
fected by such conditions and this is
the reason that the people want the
commission (orm of governmental
foreSLall any missing links that might
drop from the chain at any time.
commission government.
What Topeka needs is inspectors
VINO know just as much about the
inspection of brick and asphalt as our
city engineer. Mr.. Rogers said
Councilman c. z. Jordan, in speak
ing of the brick and asphalt inspec-
tiOn on the paving which is going
down in Topeka this summer. AT
the present time the inspectors for
this work receive very small pay
even though their salaries were rails
ell by the council few weeks ago.
The maintenance bond has been re-
moved from the Topeka paving and
the work of the inspectors decides
once and for all the quality of the
paving that the taxpayers are receiv-
ms.
time of the poor work done by cheap
paving inspectors. little trip over
the new Tenth street paving this
morning revealed to the city OFFICIALS
numerous places where the brick
blocks were crumbling away and in
the course of a very short time they
will be worthless. Tt will be hard to
make the taxpayers believe this
when they have paid out such good
money for this pretty stretch of paw
ing, but such is the case. Topeka is
facing q problem at the present time
and II is a problem that will mean
a whole lot in years to come When
the oity places all the responsibility
of its thousands of dollars of paving
upon a ''fffteen-a-week' paving in
spector. it means that there is a risk
too great for the people to endure.
It is an undisputed fact that the
city needs high class inspectors for the
work this summer-and now is the
time for the reform. To place cheap
inspectors on expensive paving means
a good many slips in favor of the
contractors 1t takes a good honest
high paid man to condemn hundreds
of dollars worth of brick right in the
face of a contractor who is ready at
any moment to throw him across the
street And then there is great room
| for an extra salary on the part of the
| contractor-this is not an uncommon
occurrence-for the contractor to
buy off the inspector and thus re-
duce the stringency of the inspection
Topeka needs high class inspectors
and needs them at once.
Mayor Green has table of ex-
penses-the cost of running Topeka
10 years ago and the year 1908 He
uses them to show that the difference
in cost is very little despite the
growth and prosperity of Topeka
since 1908. The expenditures are
compared as follows: 1910