The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-13
City Commissioners Make New
Order For Employees.
More Than $50 People to Look
,a.ae For Paving Defects.
COVER ENTIRE CITY.
Every Person From Mayor to
LabOrer Must Make Report.
Recent Injury Claims Arouse
Action of City Officials.

Alarmed by the number of injury
judgments against the city the last
year for broken crossing plates, bad
sidewalks and holes in the pavement,
the board of city commissioners has
deputized every one of the $50 city
employees to keep a close watch on
conditions "underfoot'' in Topeka.
Big card boards have been printed
which will be framed and placed in
every city office and gathering place in
Topekan and an effort will be made
to conduct a city-wide campaign
against bad sidewalks and bad pave
ment.
This campaign for better streets in
the city will be launched next week by
the commissioners. By that time the
instructions will be framed and IN
stalled in a position for all employees
to take notice and obey.
There are sixty miles of pavement in
Topeka and hundreds of miles of side
walks. With every city employee on
the lookout for distractions, breaks,
holes and low places in his territory,
the city will have work to keep the
force of the street commission busy
for months.
The first object of this campaign is
to guard against the cause of acct
dents-accidents that have been cost
ing the city of Topeka thousands OF
dollars in the last few years. 1t is
impossible for the force of the street
commissioner to inspect every foot OF
sidewalk and pavement and TINS
scheme has been launched to place
every employee on duty and TO cover
all parts of the city.
Among the city employees there are
the members of the police department,
who are out over the city at all times
and are in a position to detect many
by the new order to make a. note of all
these places and when he reports in
from duty every day, turn over a isl
of the places he finds to the chief OF
police, who, in turn, sends the list to
the street commissioner.
The city firemen come under the
same rule. Each fireman whether on
duty, or whether he is walking home
to his meals shall be on the alert for
pavement and sidewalk defects Many
times while they are answering to an
alarm with the fire apparatus they
are able to find many bad holes in the
pavement. All of their reports are to
go. to the fire marshal and finally to
the street commissioner.
Don't Hire Lawyers Says Mayor.
Il am strongly in favor of this
plan," said Mayor Billiard this after
noon. I'VE have had too many claims
from this cause and some means must
be taken to remedy the. aekl1s. And
while talking of this matter would
an accident of this Kind happens or
when person receives an injury due
to the carelessness of the city, they
report to the board of city commits
sioners at once and send III their
claim.
1T seems that the public have be-
come accustomed to take everything
to an attorney. TIL commissioner
form of government makes it neces-
sary for us to investigate carefully and
thoroughly all of these reports and
person will receive just as much cour-
tesy and just as much attention If
they take the matter up themselves
Am attorney will not have any effect
on our decision one way or the other
and it is not necessary for the people
to go to that expense.
1--WE settled a $4,000 claim not long
ago without attorney. We paid
several small claims and no lawyer
was needed. If the people of sewer
district No. 80 had not hired a lawyer
thew would have been paid Just as
quickly. Those who didn't hire an at
torney got just as much money from
the city,
Commissioner Roy L. Bone, who was
the author of the poster to city en-
ployees asking that they take notice of
all pavement and sidewalk holes, said:
"Three-fourths of the claims for in
juries have been caused by insignifi
cant defects in sidewalks or pavement.
We have no sidewalk inspector but we
have a pay. roll. of $50 persons who
might just as well do the work. They
live in all parts of the city and will be
able to cover the territory.
''These posters will be framed and
placed in the police stations, the fire
stations, and in every city office in
Guiding the waterworks plant and the
electric light plant. The city en-
p1oyees will find it their duty to make
these reports"
W. G. Tandy, commissioner of streets
and public improvements, approves oe
the plan.
''It will help US get line on the de-
fects in street work. he said. With
our present force we can't cover every
section of the city but with this scheme
We should be able to cover every dis
trict.''