The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-22
CITY HALL NEWS.
City Officials Will Join in Cru
SADIE for Economy.
Cut Down Expenses Through
Medium of City Printing.
OFFICIALLY STAMPED
Cement Sidewalks to Receive
Seal of City Engineer.
40 ONE Performances of the City
Council Last Night.

Council Last Night.
The economical habit among the city
!; officials has reached the council cham
Der and every councilman is straining
his imagination in order to save the
city a cent or two. 1t is the kind of
economy that is appreciated by the tax
payers and the kind that will make the
administration prominent one in the
hearts of the people. At the present
time the city is attempting to cut down
the cost of city printing. There has
been a habit of councilmen sending
into the council all kinds of resolutions
some bad and some worse. These
resolutions are then printed in the Of
fetal proceedings of the council and
add greatly to the cost. AS several of
the councilmen have admitted-they
must do something to show their con-
stituents that they are on earth and
| in signing resolutions they come before
them in this way. 1t is planned by the
conservatives to cut out these resolu-
tons as far as possible and reject them
from the minutes. By this scheme the
citv expects to save considerable
money
Then there is a scheme on hand to
do away with unnecessary ordinances.
There are a number of ordinances
state laws that it is useless for the city
| to burden the records with them. The
new fire regulation ordinance would
have cost a mint of money to the city
as it travelled along year after year and
was published each time. The city will
not have such an ordinance-instead
they will obey the state law. The state
law is bad enough in its complications
and in its weaknesses without getting
the city into it.
The poor catching of Mayor Green
at the opening ball game early in the
spring has been explained by City En-
gineer Rogers. He says that the mayor
called for a high ball but Governor
Stubs being such a prohibitionist
| couldn't accommodate him and thus
| the poor catching.
There have been a number Of cement
sidewalks put down in Topeka that the
| city does not care to be responsible for.
They have been laid without any au-
thority from the city engineer and they
have not been connected with any
plans or specifications whatever. There
| is a new scheme on foot to protect the
| city in matters of this kind. Council
man Tandy has sent a resolution to the
council which will cover the ground
thoroughly. After a sidewalk has been
carefully inspected and has been laid
| under the plans and specifications of
| Inspected by City 1907 will be
| inserted in the last section of the walk
and will remain as an official seal of
good workmanship and good construc-
| ton. Then if the city finds an addi
tional expense connected with the walk
| they will know that 1t is not the fault
| of the property owner or the builder
| 1t will be the fault of the administra-
ton. This little scheme is just what
we have been. needing" said Street
| gxTyz
want something to show that the side
walk was approved by the city and
| then we will not be responsible for
| walks without the stamp
Since the appointment of the ener-
getic Mr. WATSON as city excavation
| inspector Street Commissioner Snyder
| has combined forces with him and
started on big crusade against holes
| in the paving started some time ago by
| the city engineer. Mr.. Snyder is saw
ing the city a number of dollars by
| digging out the origin of all such holes
| and making the gas, steam, and cleo
| trio light companies pay the expense
| of repairs. For instance, the other
| day he had three different companies
| over the city working on the paving in
| the alley back of the State Journal
| building. over SIS was saved the city
| by this method of repairing and it was
| perfectly legitimate. Now for all the
!
| the new law goes into effect the first
| of July the slate will be good and clean.
Burton Hill, who has contract with
| the city for the handling dead animals
and the conducting of the desiecating
plant has sent a communication to the
city asking that the contract be given
him for ten years. In case this con-
tract is given he promises that he will
| in the first place haul away all dead an
imals for the people free of charge
and in the second place he will enlarge
and improve his plant to such an ex-
tent that it will compare favorably with
the best plants in the country. The
lefty will consider the proposition
City Clerk Burge has given out a
flew estimates for the cost of running
the city the next year or So He has
Figured out that the salaries of the
city officials reach $500 and the cost
of running his office will be $1,000 This
lis one of the last reports in the sta
tistics being drawn up by the mayor
lin an attempt to figure on the actual
cost of running such a corporation as
Topeka.
]. ]. Lannan, councilman from the