The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-11
TO THEIR FAVOR
Many Advantages i'm Annexa-
ton of Oakland.
Small Town Would Have Fire
Protection.
SCHOOLS FOR CHILDREN
Every Educational Feature at
Less Expense.
And Taxes Are Much Lower in
Topeka.

II. V. Clayton, the Oakland council
man, who has made public u number
of articles pointing out the advantages
to be gained by his town becoming an
nexed to Topeka, has written another
argument dealing in facts and figures
bearing on the election the last of this
month
The Clayton findings follow:
How can Oakland itself install any
public improvements, such as street
lights or waterworks or a full four
year high school course or give its
tax payers any substantial fire protec-
ton, for many years to come, without
raising the Oakland tax levy away
above the Topeka tax levy?
Take the street lighting proposition
for instances. The installation of an
adequate electric street lighting sys-
tenn for the city of Oakland would cost
about $4,000, and the maintenance
thereof at least $1,000 per year. Divide
the cost of installation into ten C0)
equal parts of 81 900 each, so that you
pay off one-tenth of the installation
cost each year for a period of ten Q0)
years: and-disregardin the interest of
at least five 90 per cent per year on
the borrowed capita1-add to each
tenth the minimum annual maintenance
cost of $1,000 and you will nave at
least Sc, 900 per year to raise over and
above the annual levy for general city
purposes and for street work in the city
of Oakland.
A Higher Levy for Lights.
With total assessed valuation for
the city of Oakland of approximately
S1,OO0,OOO, that city would have to levy
thirty 800 cents additional, per 500 as
sessed valuation, per year for period
of ten Q0) years, in order to raise the
additional $4,000 per year. Add this
thirty 800 cents additional, for instance
to the 1912 Oakland total levy of S1.77
n ND Won will hot
make a total levy of $2.07 for the Oak
land taxpayers for that year. That
would mean of course in that instance
that the Oakland total tax levy would
be forty (4O) cents higher per 800 as
sessed valuation than the Topeka total
1evy-and still Oakland would not have
made provision for as good fire protec-
ton or high school privileges as the To-
peka taxpayer enjoys
Some of the Oakland Home
Guards seem to think that, in the way
of fire protection, all that Oakland
needs is it's aforesaid Home Guards
and "our lion-hearted marshal and
town consta ble' and the city pension
They may not realize it, but who
knows of a single house in Oakland
that has ever got afire, and, even de-
spite the noble efforts of those worthy
personages, has not burned to the
ground? They may be adequate CD
fire protection, but they are not able
to bring the fire insurance rates on
Oakland property down to what they
are in most of the city of Topeka.
Next spring that part of the city of
Topeka lying between the city of Oak
land and the Santa Fe shops will have
the waterworks mains extended
through it almost to the Oakland To
peka boundary line. That will give
that district much better fire protec-
ton than it nows enjoys. 1t will mean
that then the fire insurance rates for
property in that territory will be sixty
600 cents for three CD years on each
500 of fire insurance carried, as
against a rate of eighty (S0) cents on
the same kind of a policy on Oakland
property.
Advantage of Water Mains.
What would it mean to you, Oak
land property owner, for Oakland to
become a part of the city of Topeka
and have its water mains extended
down through your little village to the
wooden mill? II would mean that the |
lives of your women and children, es-
pecially, would be better protected
against the awful ravages of the fire
monster; it would mean lower fire
insurance rates; it would mean that
you could get along with less fire in
surance on your property; it would |
mean more modern conveniences in |