The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-11-04
START The PLANT
City Officials Would Operate
Garbage CrematOry.
Surplus OF $915 Is Discovered
in Bond Fund.
FOR A FALL CLEAN UP.
Complaints Come in That To-
peka Needs a Bath.
Commissioners Believe Revenues
FOR A FALL CLEAN UP
Commissioners Believe Revenues
Weuld Cover Expense.

There is a movement on hand among
the city commissioners TO start the OPP
GRAFTON of the municipal garbage ere
matory at once. The plant has been
completed and ready for work since
September but it was claimed that the
city did not have the funds with which
to operate the incrnerator. 1t has been
discovered that there is 1915 in the Gre
matory fund which never has been
spent in the work.
The city officials believe that with
this S915 two or more dump wagons
could be purchased, teams and men
hired and the plant placed in running
order. On account of the fact that
nothing has been done to clean up the
town, that the sanitary conditions of
the alleys and dumps demand a general
cleaning up and that the people are
unable to procure wagons to haul away
their trash, the city commissioners be-
lieve tht some action should be taken
Immediately and they have worked out
preliminary plans to use the 1915 left
in the crematory fund.
The city voted bonds for $4,000 to
erect this garbage plant. The con-
tract was given to Lewis & Kitchen
of Kansas City and through their rep
resentative, Fred Horseman, they cut
the price down to $2,3S5 and built the
plant for this amount. This left the
city 1918 in the fund and no DISPOSE
ton of this fund has been made.
Plant Is We'll Equipped.
The plant is one of the most COM
plete and we'll built for it's size in the
country. The Lewis &, Kitchen people
are so proud of it that they have
brought to Topeka represen tatives
from cities all over the west to in
spect the plant. Now that the city
has the crematory com plete and the
should be built and the hauling COM
merced at once.
The dump wagons used in this work
could be purchased for less than $500.
Teams and men could be hired to at
tend to the hauling and the operation
of the plant. There are only two
months remaining in this year until
the annual budget is in readiness for
the city to slice-then the plant can
be run in full blast.
1t is planned by the commissioners
although no formal action has been
taken and nothing has come beA0re
them as a body-that the people of
the city could be taxed about 10 cents
a week for the hauling of this garb-
! age from their premises. With two
wagons going enough revenue could
be taken in to hire the teams and pay
| the wages of the men.
No Relief at Present.
Complaints have been coming into
| the city hall from the citizens to the
| effect that men and teams could not
| be hired to haul away the trash that
| has gathered in the yards and alleys
! since summer. With winter approach
| ing, the leaves falling, the city officials
| feel that something should be done to
clean up the town.
There are thousands of people in
Topeka who would be willing to pay
10 cents a week to have their garbage
hauled especially business men who
have to pay enormous sums for the
! hauling of old boxes and waste. The
| city feels that the maintenance of the
| plant could be met easily by the reve-
nue. of the collections
The matter will come up before the
| commissioners in a meeting soon wher
action will be taken to give Topeka
general clean up and put in operation
the big garbage crematory which ha:
been lying idle for two months.