The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-06
ON THE NORTH SIDE
Farmers Will Ask to Have
Drainage Law Changed.
Want Arrangement So That
Board May fe Dissolved.
MEETING is HELD.
Protest at Proposed Extension
OF Benefit District.
Beavers Lease the Old Baker
Homestead.
MEETING is HELD

nOuA0St6dQ.
A petition asking the Legislatures for
a law to remove the drainage board of
district or for the dissolvIng of a dis
/ trict at the desire of the ma aioritv OF
the taxpayers of such district and
resolutions condemning a reported pro-
poSal of the Kaw valley drainage
| board, may be drawn up at a meetfns
which is being held this afternoon by
| the taxpayers of the Silver Lake neigh
| borhood. The meeting is being held in
| the Casper school house about six miles
west of Topeka on the lower Silver
Lake road. The meeting grew out of
| the understanding that the board had
decided to make an emergency district
out of the territory under their juris-
diction and raise a tax levy for flood
protection Improvement bonds without
calling a general election of the tax
payers of that section.
According to G. H Ginter, of near
Silver Lake, who is active in the matter
Of protesting against the board, this
body informed him that they intended
to form the territory into an erner-
general election The officials of the
board say that no such course had been
decided upon and they will try to give
the district the best protection with the
least expense
As to the legality of such action. s
r. Kutz, secretary of the North To-
peka drainage board thinks that Such
a body would have a perfect right to
form a special benefit district out OF
any portion of the territory under it's
Jurisdiction and issue Improvement
bonds without calling a general cleo
tion unless the cost Of the work exceeds
10 per cent of the value of the land in
the district, as long as 1T did not Or
ganize the entire district as such How
ever, it is his opinion that no limits are
set on the amount OF territory that the
board could call a portion" as long as
it did not include the entire district
from boundary to boundary
The Kaw valley drainage district
extends from the east line of the
Updegraf farm about two miles west
of Topeka TO about seven milss fur
ther west, and from the Union Pa
cific tracks to the river or from one
TO one and one-haIf miles in width
It was organized two years ago
last July Through the efforts of the
they were washed away by the food
last spring. The idea of the board
now is to build a continuous dixie
extending about one mile east from
Silver Lake long the north bank of
the Kansas river. The low places in
this stretch would thus be filed in
and If the other low places at in
tervaIs further east should be also
filed in as according to the plans of
the board. the dixie of this district
and connected with the west line of
the North Topeka drainage district
A meeting was held in December to
get the sentiment of the peoDle in
regard to the matter of flood pro-
lection and it was proposed $4,000
food protection improvement bonds
be issued and that a general election
should be called in the near future
to decide about the matter
Regarding the reported further
proposal of the board. Mr.. Ginter
said today:
Forming a special benefit district
and Ievying tax would make too heavy
an expense on the people consider
land Under the present laws so far
as we can learn there is no law pro-
viding for the removal of the board
or the dissolving of drainage district
at the wish of the majority of the tax
payers and we would like to take
steps to have such law passed. We
have invited the members of the
drainage board to be present at our
meeting today and the meeting will
be open to any one else interested in
the matter
Accompanied by his mother and a
nurse from the Provident association,
Bonnie" Smith, the boy who has
been begging for money to have his
blind eye fixed visited the occuIist
yesterday and had his eye examined.
The visit developed the facts that
the sight in the left eye IS COM
pletely gone and that in time. the
eye ball may have to be removed in
order TO save the other eye which is
also affected This was carefully ex-
planned to the mother and she was
told that If she still allowed her boy
to beg his parents would be con-
sfdered as making a professional beg
gar out of the boy and he would be
taken away from them through the
probate court. The mother seemed
Impressed and promised not to allow
the boy to beg any more.
The Beavers are getting busy in
North Topeka However. these are not
the kind Of beavers which build but
ganized benefit order which goes by the
name of these industrious animals
This lodge was organized about three
ago. The members have rented
the old Baker property on West Curtis
street lust east Of the Kuehne Preserv-
ng works, and are expending 81 500 to
repair and remodel it for club house
The work is expected to be done in
! few weeks The intention is to buy
York Trust company as soon as the
odge can afford it, The building in
which the North Topeka lodge meets
vas erected in the early days by a
Tohn Baker, at the cost of $4,000 It
: of brick and was considered the fin
st residence in Topeka at that time
Il was considerable OF an attraction
md people from long distances came
% see it. It has been occupied by diff
TIJEDE,C