The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-17
Obscure Ordinance Dug Up From
Old City Records.
Settles Dispute Over City Pur-
chasing Agent Question.
MAYOR is THE MAN.
He Has Complete Control Over
Purchase of All Supplies.
big Four" Give Their Reasons
for Series Objections.

While all this trouble over the matter
OF city purchasing agent has been
disturbing the peace and tranquility %
the city board of commissioners, a little
OBSCURE ordinance which has been liV-
Ing quiet life on page p of the re-
Vised book of ordinances, is still float
ing under its white flag and is the only
means of bringing into peaceful waters
again the troubled minds OF the city
commissioners.
This ordinance was passed and pub
hshed in the Topeka State Journal the
OFFICIAL city paper, April g. 1907, and
was an ordinance relating to the pur-
chasing of supplies for the various Of
nces and departments of the city gov
ernment. In other words it gives 90
the mayor of the city the entire powers
of city purchasing agent and gave
to him and to the city the advantages
included in the ordinance brought for
warf by Commissioner Bone.
The ordinance introduced by Com
missioner Bone which provided for an
appointment of one of the city COM
missioners as a purchasing agent was
badly showed under by the remaining
commissioners and a final vote gave
the ordinance one vote and the eX-
pulsion four votes. This caused a di-
vision of the city board of commissions
ers into Big Four" and an "Insur-
gent" And now comes forth a little
ordinance of but one section which is
sufficient to make the commissioners
ashamed of their wrangIe.
Cheaper Cost of Supplies.
Mr.. Bones idea was to have one of
the commissioners appointed as pur-
chasing agent and give him the power
TO do all of the purchasing and thus
find some means of cheapenfng the
was attacked from all sides by the
other commissioners and a fight en-
sued.
But now that the obscure ordinance
has come forth to life again there are
hopes at the city hall that the Bone
Big Four feud will have a peaceful
ending. This ordinance when passed
and signed by eX-Mayor Davis and ex-
C;ty Clerk Squires was never intended
to be the dove of peace to a divided
house but it has now served its pur-
pose and will probably drop back into
Its hiding place again.
If the city finally decides to hook on
to the purchasing agent idea this ordi
nance will be dug up again and used
as the anchoring point of the idea.
But there are visible signs of no such
an event.
For instance, Chief Wilmarth of the
fire department. does all Of the pur-
chasing for this department. He has Il
system of buying that saves the city
thousands Of dollars each year. The
fire marshal is a veteran in the work.
the third to the oldest in the United
States-and he is acquainted with every
hose company. fire apparatus firm and
equipment company in the country.
When the chief wants any of these
materials for the department he sim
plv asks the companies for prices and
asks them that they do not send any
agents to him. Save the expense Of
sending a salesman here and deduct it
from our bill" says the fire marshal.
In this way he is able to get the rock
bottom prices and save the city money.
Superintendent Shaw of the water
works department, Superintendent
Goodrich of the electric light plant and
all the older heads of the city depart
ments are of the same value to the
city.
Ordinance in Question.
An incident happened not long ago
that proved to the members Of the Big
Four that they did not want city
purchasing agent. The sanitary depart
nent wanted some contagious disease
posters Commissioner Bone started out
to get prices from the printers. He
returned to the city hall and told SAM
tary Sergeant Vanderpool that the best
price he could get on certain number
of these posters was about $12.
"Somebdy is making money" ex-
claimed Mr.. Vanderpool, "I have been
having these printed for s. and I can
get them done again for that price"
This illustrates the value of the buy
ing by the nedQ OIL the CITY QSpdl =
mentS.
But coming back to the ordinance
which has sprinkled oil on the troubled
waters Cor something like thaD this
ordinance is complete and reads:
Il. It shall be the duty OF each city
officer or the head of each department,
on the first day of each month. to make
and deliver to the mayor a requisition
duly signed by such officer or head of
department., giving the full details in
writing of an estimated supply of al!
goods and material necessary for such
office or department for the coming
month, ard the mayor. upon receipt of
such requisition, shall, if he deem it
advisable, endorse his approval upon
the same, and shall dispose of said re-
QUESTION as follows: He may, upon
competitive bid. purchase the goods at
the lowest cash price, subject to any
agreed cash discount; or he may turn
the requisition over to the city clerk
with instructions to purchase on COM
petitive bid. at lowest cash price, sub
feet to any agreed cash discount; or
he may return the requisition to the
officer or head of department, making
the same. with instructions to pur-
chase at the lowest competitive cash