The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-01
CITY HALL NEWS.
Danish the Poles'' Cry Being
Taken Up.
The Municipal Light Necessities
Bother to Residents.
ASK FOR SOME RELIEF
Big Petition Sent to Electric
Light Commissioners.
Other Items of Interest From
the City Building.
ASK FOR SOME RELIEF

The fight to Danish the unsightly
electric light poles of this city in or
der to increase civic pride and
Improvement has reached the stage
where the people upon whom the
poles are forced are praying for de-
liyerance from the orders of the cleo
trio light officials of the city
This evening a petition from the
residents of Harrison street between
Eleventh and Huntoon streets will be
sent to the electric light commits
sioners in hopes that the poles now
being placed at this point will be or
dered out. The petitions are signed
by every person in the district men,
toned. The city officials are not TAX
Ing any action, however. until they
can figure some way out OF the
Sredicament. at is impossible to
hang street lights from a balloon or
make them stick over the streets by
mere floating power There must be
poles of some kind or else the lights
Will have to be banished," they say.
The petitions read as follows:
ITO the Hon. Herbert Hackney, Hon.
w. w. Mills and Hon. R. F. Cofran,
electric light commissioners for the
city of Topeka.
I'VE the undersigned citizens of
the city of Topeka respectfully repre-
sent to your honorable board, that
Whereas it has been the policy of
the council of the city of Topeka, of
the Commercial club and all of the
civic organizations of the said city to
discourage the placing of telephone,
or electric light poles on the business
or principal residence streets of the
city of Topeka, but to demand that
the same shall be located wherever
practicable either underground or in
the alleys. and
whereas it appears that the
oh MIA nlaPP n0lRS
the parking on the west side Of
Harrison street between Eleventh and
Huntoon streets. now
Therefore, we the undersigned
residents of Harrison street. between
the said Eleventh and Huntoon
streets do hereby respectfully protest
against our beautiful street being
narred by the erection Of unsightly
respectfully request that this our
remonstrance be given heed and that
the said superintendent of the city
light plant be ordered and instructed
to place the said poles in one of the
alleys or along one of the side
streets"
As a general rule the annual report
of city department of municipal at
fairs is no. worth the paper it is print
ed on for news and general interest to
the public. 1t is a good. thing for the
archives at the city hall and serves as
mate account to the city officials but
the taxpayers and the voters pass 1t
Up without notice. Occasionally, how
ever, a report creeps into the headquar
tiers which is worthy of interest ana
repetition.
For instance. next Monday morning
Street Commissioner Frank Snyder will
turn into the mayor and city clerk his
annual report for the fiscal year end
irg March 81. This report is interest
drg as We'll as valuable to the people
OF the city who have at heart the con-
dition of their streets. alleys and side
walks
Special attention has been given to
the 50 miles of paved streets in the city;
Is ,932 blocks OF paved streets and alleys
were cleaned and from them 1909 loads
or 2015S cubic feet of street sweep
FwcepingS were hauled away. If these
loads were strung together and started
? cross the country they would reach
from Topeka to Lawrence in one single
train. The cost of piling and removing
thes e sWespiGEs cost 81 cents a block
q very nominal sum for such big task.
The cost of sprinkling and sweeping
amounted to p cents per block. All of
She dirt streets were thoroughly graded
end cinders placed in the low places
v hereyer t was needed. There are 1873
m lies of unpaved streets in Topeka and
md all cutters left in good condition.
On account of the frequent rains and
heavy rattle much of this work had to
be done repeatedly. A condensed sum-
lnary of the mammoth undertakings of
the efficient street commissioner dur
ing The year Will reveal the following |
startling results; 157 new crossings were
land, iz,173 crossings were cleaned. 2S9 /
feet of sewer mains relaid, $3.50 catch |