The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-10
PORTER HAS PLAN
Commissioner Proposes Estab-
fishing Municipal Manure Pile.
The Burning of Garbage Is an
Economic Waste.
is A Big EXPENSE TO CITY
The CrematOry Always Has
Been a Losing Proposition.
Sees a Chance to Change Loss
Into Profit.
IS A BIG EXPENSE TO CITY

City Commissioner w. L. Porter
stated this morning that he is serious
ly considering recommending to the
city commission that the city crema-
tory be abolished and that ''mu-
nicipa1 manure pile" be established in
its stead The plant was constructed
about four years ago at cost of ST.
600 and is running the city in debt to
the extent of about So a year.
But it is not due to the cost of main
tanning the plant that Commissioners
Porter would recommend closing it
down. He is opposed to the burning
of hundreds of tons of garbage and
manure every year-material that
could and should be used as fertilizer.
81 have been thinking about this
matter for some time said Mr.. Por-
ter this morning. 81 have been gath
erlng facts about it also. For several
weeks, when some other town has
written to me and asked about city
crematories, 1 have advised against it
in my reply.
ST am not having any manure burn
ed at the crematory but ton after ton
was burned there before 1 took charge
of this department. However, thou
sands of pounds of garbage are burn
ed daily. The manure and garbage
should be saved. 1t is an economic
waste to allow it to go up in smoke.
There is need right here in Shawnee
county for every load of fertilizer that
can be collected in Topeka in the next
hundred years. Shawnee county land
has not worn out but it needs just
such fertilizer as a city like Topeka has
to keep it up to standard.
Germany Would Not Tolerate 1t.
81 have been reading reports from
Germany and other European coun-
tries and 1 am satisfied that the Ger
man government would hang a man
who would destroy valuable fertilizer
as we are doing here in Topeka every
day And the mere destruction is not
the worst of it. We are spending good
money for fuel to burn material that
is almost as valuable as the fuel
As the city crematory has been
handled to date it has not been
paying proposition in any sense of the
word. Not a sufficient number of
make it profitable. And because only
a few people in the average block
have the service while neighbors dis
pose of their garbage in any way
they see fit the city garbage service is
unsatisfactory.
Commissioner Porter is trying to
evolve some scheme whereby all gar
bage in the city can be collected free
of charge and that portion that can
be used as fertilizer disposed of to
land owners for enough TO pay for
the cost of collection. He admits he
has something of a problem on hands.
Farmers Glad to Get 1t.
During the fall and winter said
Porter, Farmers are glad to come to
town to haul manure out to their
land. But in the summer time they
are too busy and besides they re
not in a position to use il at that
season. Seems like there ought to be
some way of providing for d munich
pal manure pile where manure and
garbage could be stored until the fall
or winter, then be hauled away by
farmers and land owners
Commissioner Porter estimates that
.
destroyed at the city cremato-y in one
year is worth more as fertilizer than
three or four plants such as the city
crematOry, would cost. He wants to
work out some plan to stop the loss
and would like to have some sugges-
tiOOS