The Topeka state journal., 1918-12-26
meet IN A STAR i
CHAMBER water
SESSION TODAY.
City Commissioners Bar Re.
pOrters From Meeting Today.
Porter Said He Was Afraid
They Would Scare Newland.
EXPERT here TO INVESTIGATE
City Puts G. E. Hopper. IN
Charge Water Plant
Succeeding Jesse Shaw, Who
Is Given Office Work.


Is Given Office Work.
The conference of the city commits
sioners adjourned late this afternoon
and Mayor House announced that q.
E. Hopper. the water plant expert
brought to Topeka by Commissioner
Newland. will be in charge of the
city water plant, beginning this after
noon. Jesse Shaw. superintendent,
will remain on the city payroll. HOUSE
said, but his activities will be con.
fined to office work.
Hopper, it was asserted. agreed to
tackle the job Of attempting to REM
edy conditions at the municipal plant.
He will work for two or three months
without contract or salary. At the
end Of that time. IL it Is found that all
commissioners and the expert agree.
Hopper will be retained under con-
tract as superintendent of the plant
at a salary of about $2,500 or $4,000
a year. Newland. It is said. approved
of Hopper's taking charge.
Activities of the city commission
relative to its affirmed intention Of
remedying the poor water pressure af-
forded by the municipal plant today
resolved into a star-chamber knock
down and drag-out" affair. The en-
tire commission. including Frank N.
Newland. water commissioner. and G..
E. Hopper. water expert from Man
haitian, whom Mr.. Newland brought to
Topeka in response to the commis-
sion's ultimatum demanding that the
plant be placed in expert hands, con-
vened in informal conference behind
closed doors. {4r
The public and newspaper reporters
were barred Reporters from ali To-
peka newspapers were refused adrn1f-
jtance, and two from the Topeka State
Journal were told they could not be
present. es
Might Scare Newiand.
ITS this way" said w. L. Porter,
commissioner of parks. II want New
land to tell me just what is the trouble
at the plant. He said the other day
that there Is insubordination at the
plant. 1 am going to demand just
what and where that characterization
is. For my part would rather admit
the reporters. but 1 know Newland
would not talk before reporters
want him to come out and talk, and
talk plainly 1f s
Mayor House, at first. parried ques-
NJ
he did not know just exactly what was
going to be done. He finally sad
however. that the meeting was, among
other things. to consider Hopper as
the expert to be placed in the plant.
"One thing is sure" he said, there
Is going to be an expert in charge.
Jesse Shaw, the superintendent. may
! remain on the city payroll. That Is
up to Newland. But he is not going to
remain in charge of the plant"
Porter intimated that the insubor-
dination would involve Shaw. "It
would be funny" he said. 'If a man
running any plant could not meet and
dispose of insubordinates'
House Promises Public Facts.
House promised that the public
| would be given the facts about the
meeting it was over with.
The situation at the water plant.
according to Porter, differs from the
trouble last January, when an inade-
the cause. Porter says there is now
| plenty of water. but declared that for
some reason the plant has failed to
produce the pressure.
F.; The flareup in the last few DAYS IA
the second to be heard in the city hall
in the last year. Last January, the
city commission took things in hand,
and declared that conditions would bo
remedied. Wyncoop Kiersted a wa
ter expert from Missouri, was called
into the commission He recommend-
, ed that, new water field be opened
up on the north side of the river and
| that the water be delivered to the
| present plant by way of a tunnel under
the river. House, Porter, Tandy and
Wasson ran the investigation and were
responsible for Kier=ted being called
/ to solve the problem. They adopted
, his recommendations, or at least fa-
/, vored them verbally.
! The experts recommendations. how
+: ever. so far as going on the north side
, of the river Is concerned, have not
been carried ont further than fha
I: drilling Of test wells
| House Promised Remedy.
! Last January House declared that
there was going to be a remedy found
for the water situation and placed in
; effect as soon as possible. The storm
which, like this one, was conferred
about Newland, died almost as sud.
. denly as it started. Neither the water
commissioner nor House. Tandy, Por.
ter or Wasson apparently paid much
attention to the condition of things
until the present crisis developed -
| House today termed the activities OF
himself. Porter. Tandy and Wasson in
connection with the water plant as Z
| "h'gh-handed affair" I'VE are dofna
| this" he declared, "in much the same
way that we picked up the women OF
the streets and lodged. them in Lans.
, ing last spring and summer"
Hopper. whom Newland brought to
| Topeka following a demand from the
commissioners generally that a water
/ expert be secured. arrived in Topeka
water plant. He is said to have had
\ nf aynerfauce \