The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-03-24
ADOPTS THE MANAGER PLAN
Wichita Is First Big City of State to
Try New System of Municipal
Government.

Wichita repudiated Mayor o. H.
Bentley and his police department by
adopting the city manager plan by a
vote of $3.50 for the proposition to
1878 against it, a victory of 5 to 8 for
better government and a cleaner city
morally and politically
Every one of the six wards in the
city gave the city manager plan a safe
majority and in only two of the TWEEN
ty-six precincts did the opposition have
majority total of only thirty
three votes in the two precincts.
The vote was representative, and
while it was a little over half Of the
registration, it showed that Wichita
was in for better things. The city
manager plan had the support of the
churches, many of the ministers speak
ing for it last Sunday Owing to the
brief period in which the campaign
was carried on only a few meetings
were held. The Better Governmest
crowd held a mass meeting in the
Forum the first of the week, but only
about ESQ persons attended to hear
the speeches. One night the opposi-
ton got out a band and banners and
drummed up nearly thousand people
in the forum to hear the arguments
against the city manager plan. Most
Of the time was spent in abusing the
two papers. the Beacon and the Eagle,
and. their editors, Henry J. Allen and
Victor Murdoch, both Of whom had
fought hard for the manager plan.
Wichita is the first big city in Kan
sas to adopt the city manager plan
4 s-sr-
its example will be followed by others
no doubt. The men behind the city
manager move here have made no ar
rangements to employ an expert in the
line, but they are the ablest business
and professional men of the town and
will have no trouble in securing one.
A salary of $4,000 year has been hit
on as about the proper one for man
ager and good one will be available.
Board Up for CoIiegians.-Two thou
sand students Of the Kansas State
normal and the College of Emporia
were affected by the announcement
made the other day by board house
keepers that the price Of board would
be increased from $3.50 a week to 81
a week.
4 x X
Pioneer Dead at 100.-George W.
Jackson, the oldest resident of Chase
county, died at the home of his daugh-
ter in Cottonwood Falls, the other
night, following brief illness. October
80, 1916, Mr.. Jackson celebrated his
one hundredth birthday anniversary.
X
Funeral of William F. Sapp.-Fu-
neral services for William F.. Sapp,
from Kansas, were held at the First
Methodist church at Galena. All bush
ness houses in the city closed and
many OF the mines suspended oper-
atoms durings the hours Of the serv-
ices.
Falling Rock Kills Miner-Jack
Zagar, a miner, was killed in a shaft
at Franklin the other day when large
rock fell upon him.
X x X
Cow Injured Woman.-While gath
ering eggs in the barn at her home
near Assaria, Mrs. Theodore Pearson,
72 years old, was kicked by a COW,
knocked down and hunted over the
floor: She suffered broken hip and
shoulder. Her condition is dangerous.
poherty Gas Output UP.-The SEN
tinel Oil and Gas Company, a sub
sidiary of the Henry L. Doherty in
terests, with OFFICES In Ottawa. now
has twenty-five gas wells in the Ottawa
territory, producing approximately
10000, 600 cubic feet Of gas daily.