The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-01
Commercial Club CharacteriZes
Conditions as Disgrace.
Petition Soon Will Be Put Be-
fore Commissioners.
COLLECTION A MENACE
Committee Declares for Relief
to the Suffering.
Outlines Plan of Contracts With
TOpekans.

Asking that the new garbage plant
be put into immediate operation, a
petition has been drawn up by the
civic Improvement committee OF the
Commercial club. This petition Will
be presented at a meeting of the city
commissioners as soon as it has been
signed by every member of the COM
mittee.
The document characterizes the
present collection plan as being dis
grace to the city. 1t is as follows:
I'VE would respectfully urge ana
request you to adopt some system
looking to the cleaning of our alleys
under the direction of the city com
missioners. Particularly those Whlch
are paved. 1t is the judgment OF TINS
committee that some temporary sys-
tenn for collecting rubbish might De
profitably adopted while you are de-
Gliding what kind of garbage wagons
to use in connection with our new
crematory. The collection problem,
IS it now stands, is serious menace
to the health of our city, and dis
grace, when we aspire to the tltIe OF
Beautiful Topeka
Plan Is Suggested.
I'VE would therefore respectfully
suggest the following plan, which
would be at once an assistance to the
poor teamster and a distinct relief to
the suffering householder:
Let the citizens on certain streets
and alleys, for instance between Mon
roe and Van Buren, streets all pay to
an authorized city collector, stipu-
lated sum per week to have their gar
bage removed every day from the rear
of their homes, Cor as often as in your
Judgment it would be practica ble.)
"a contract should be made with
each resident in the district, stating
the sum per week agreed upon and
time of payment most agreeable TO
them. Then the teamster need only
to collect the garbage, without spend
ing as much more time collecting his
fees. We have personally talked with
a number of these teamSterS, who
would rather have a stipulated salary
per week than the various uncertain
amounts they are now collecting. A
competent solicitor or collector can be
obtained for S12 week who will pre-
cede and follow them, attending to all
of the details under your instructions
He should be clothed with all the au-
thority of the health officer, enabling
him to notify all such persons as have
failed to comply with the ordinance
bearing on this subject.
I'm this way we feel confident that
city garbage and manure can be
hauled without costing the city sin
gle dollar. If however. the plan
should not be entirely self-supporting,
the shortage will not equal the annual
interest on the proposed investment for
the new garbage plant.
Reasons Are Given.
eff the men already engaged in this
work are continued by the city, we
have not deprived them of their live
lihood, nor can the citizens object to
the plan for the reason that they pre-
fer giving the poor man employm lent
rather than the city. For this and a
dozen other reasons we feel it adVis-
able to begin at once to utilize our new
crematory, even though we have but
limited facilities at our command.
THE blanks needed for this purpose
and all the overhead expense for this
service can be met by the contributions
of the property owners or renters. IF
proper facilities are not furnished by
the property owners your authorized
officer of the law can bring it to his
attention in a. forceful manner.
1.-THE city might own and rent gar
bage cans. The plan now in vogue is
unbusiness like. The fund would no
doubt be increased from the sale of
swill to many who regard their time as
too valuable to collect it. Many mar
ket gardeners, too, would pay for the
manure if offered by the city for a