The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-11
Free Garbage Hauling Would
Be Result in Topeka.
HAS LEGISLATIVE SUGGESTIONS
Give Cities Right to Make Levy
for Public Health.
City Physician on Full Time in
Cities Over 5000.

Independence, Kan, Oct. 11.-Home
rule, a method to obtain free garbage
hauling N Topeka ard a city physician
on full-time in every city in Kansas
over 5000 population were urged by
Commissioner w. L. Porter, of Topeka,
president of the Kansas League OF
Municipalities. today in an address be-
fore the league. The Topeka COM
missioner also recommended the pas
sage Of a bill thru the legislature Civ
ing cities the right to make levy for
the upkeep of public health associa-
tons and throwing the expense from
the shoulders of private citizens.
In urging home rule, Co mmissioner
Porter told of the alleged inadequate
garbage hauling facilities in Topeka.
Hard to Meet Budget.
1.-The legislature" he said, has seen
fit to limit cur general fund to mills,
and every year during the annual
budget making it keeps us very busy
keeping within this 4-mill levy limit
for general purposes. To overcome
this obstacle, our city officials will
have to go before the next legislature
and ask them to give us the right to
make levy to aid US in carrying out
this all important work.
HABIT the time arrived when cities
in Kansas should be given the privilege
of home rule?
I'm large majority of our munich
palities in Kansas the general health
Of the community is left to a part
as rule, is called the city physician,
paid anywhere from $40 to $50 a
month for his no-time or part-time
service. L believe that some kind of
a law should be worked out and
passed by the next legislature SO that
every town with over 5000 inhabit-
ants should have a full-time health
officer, and the law to be passed with
the purpose in view that this health
officer should be chosen on his merits.
At the same time this law is passed
to take care of the smaller towns, the
counties should be provided with a
health officer, or. if the population is
too small for the county, a district
health officer plan should be worked
out, so that the health of every per-
son in Kansas will be guarded by an
expert, this expert to spend his full
time in this line of work.
Trouble in Legislature.
"a majority of the members of this
convention probably have in mind
some legislation pertaining to their
respective cities, and our legislative
committee will be asked to present it
at the next session of the legislature.
This legislation will be introduced into
the house and senate, then referred
to various committees and-then the
Lord only knows what will become of
it. 1t may be that some cities have
been waiting nearly two years for the
passage of some of these bills and
after the legislature has adjourned
they will find that their bill has either
been defeated or it may have been
passed with some fool Joker in it that
would make it unavoidable. Hence,
another two years wait. Our Kansas
legislature is not to be blamed for any
of this. 1t must be remembered that
Kansas is an agricultural state and the
majority of its members are of the
farming class and do not understand
nor can they be expected to under
stand the various problems confront
ing a hundred different cities"