The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-27
George E. Hopper of Manhattan
Took Charge Today.
NEWLAND WAS NOT AFRAID
Says He Had No Objection to
Reporters in Meeting.
He Can't Understand Why Ban
Was Handed Out.

G. E. Hopper, the city's brand new
water expert, stepped out in all his old
clothes bright and early this morning
to tackle the mighty and long g-fought-
over question of why Topeka has
water pressure of a varying and some
times negligible quantity. Worse than
the vagaries of any lover is the dispo-
sition of Topeka's pampered, petted
water plant, the intricacies of whose
disposition it is Hopper's job now to
solve in the next three months if he is
to permanently go on the city payroll
at a salary of $2,500 to $4,000. Hopper
takes the place of Jesse Shaw, former
superintendent. who will remain on
the payrol1 He will do clerical work
in the office.
Hopper went out to the plant this
morning on sea of snow. A cold,
hard day to break in on a new job.
Water pressure is still as low as ever
and evidently the much sought trou-
will have an opportunity to see the
plant behave at its worst and can un-
timber his technical ability in an en-
deavor to solve the weighty problem.
1t will be several days, perhaps much
longer, before Hopper will be able to
offer any authoritative and positive
statement as to the reasons for the
misbehavior of the plant. He has set
no time limit in which he expects to
solve the riddle. In the meantime To-
Pehd IHuSI CoIlllnue " wall Will pa
thence both for water and the forecast
of the prophet who must produce
something more definite than, Let
there be water"
All Reporters Barred.
Representatives of the press were
absolutely. and positively denied en-
| trance to the meeting of the city COM
l..issioners held Thursday afternoon"
| Mayor House said today. This is con-
trary to a statement published this
| morning which declared that while
! representatives of the press were
granted permission to attend the meet
| ing, it was pointed out that their pres
| ence probably would intimidate and
cause embarrassment to Commissioner
Frank Newland. who probably would
not talk as well and as much to the
point s'tho the meeting were a strict
| ly private one"
A few minutes prior to the time the
| meeting was called a representative
of the Topeka State Journal asked
Mayor House about the meeting. May
or House replied, Yes, there is going
! to be a meeting of that nature. But
! you will be barred from attending. All
representatives of the press will be
find out what happened as soon as the
| meeting is over"
Mayor House then stated that ques-
| tions would come up and various COM
/ InlSSlOneTS TdQ lnlnSS 10 Idlk ABOUT
that they did not care-to have come
| out in print Commissioner Porter
was responsible for the statement that
/ he believed Newland would not ex-
press himself as well in the presence
of reporters as if they were kept out
| of the meeting.
NewIand Makes Statement.
This morning Commissioner New
| land said to a State Journal reporter:
| II see that both the papers have cred
in the presence of reporters. 1 don't
tirely erroneous. You have never
found me afraid to discuss any situa-
! tion with you. And there is nothing
| which occurred at the meeting that
/ would have made me consider the
| presence of reporters as unwelcome
/ Nor was 1 afraid before the meeting
/, that any such situation would arise
! Neither Mayor House nor Commits
| sioner Porter would assert that they
were positively opposed to the pres
ence of reporters but added that the
! meeting was expected to develop ideas
| which would perhaps be hampered In
! their execution by the presence OF
| press representatives. Commissioner
! Newland made no statement one way
| or another before the meeting. After
! wards he declared he would not have
| opposed their presence. Commits
sioner Tandy could not be found di-
i dectly before the meeting and is not
known to have made any public state
ments, altho there is the impression
current that Tandy was positively
opposed to allowing reporters to at
fnrr 70 limo