The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-18
HAS Good RECORD
City Commissioner Porter Has
Made Job a Success.
One of Most Progressive Offi-
Gals to the City Hall.

w. L. Porter. city commissioner.
who will join the state board of health
forces, was first elected city commits
sioner April 1, 1913. He was re-
elected in 1915 and again in 1917. He
succeeded Eugene B. Stotts.
1t is unfortunate that the city should
lose Commissioner Porter. who is re-
garded both by his associates and the
public at large as one of the most pro-
gressive. alert and date men that
it has been the wisdom of the city to
place in office thru the elections in
recent years. Coming to the office
without any previous training or
knowledge of, the work which he was
about to enter, thru reading, study
and investigation of conditions along
his line of work in other towns he
trained himself to his job as he
handled it.
The department has been built up
during his regime of six years to one
of the largest of the city departments.
and has partaken of a tremendous
growth as compared with the size of
the office at the time he first took
hold of the work.
The two things which stand out as
most eminent. which have been built
up by Commissioner Porter. are the
park systems and the health or sani-
tary department. Gage park was
practically put on the map after the
street car line was built out there. The
swimming pool has been improved and
| bath house facilities added making
| swimming an increasing summer sport
| in Topeka.
Parks Greatly Improved.
At an expenditure of 100000 during
| the last three years Ripley park has
| been achieved. Edgewood park in
Auburndale has also been added to the
| citys improvements. 1t has been an
aim of Porter's to put the parks to a
practical use, making them places for
| the children of the vicinity to play
| and have the advantage of things to
play with. In the various parks there
are now something like twenty-five
tennis courts. Fairgrounds have been
instituted in most all of the parks with
various sorts of equipment such as
ladders, swings and trapezes with
which the children may play. All of
the parks have been made more
beautiful: Ripley, Gage. City. and
Children's parks all have bathing
| facilities and Fairgrounds.
| In the health or sanitary depart
ment has probably occurred the
growth of the greatest actual value to
the city. The installation Of a bac-
THEOLOGICAL department in which milk.
is not only tested for butter fat but
in which it is also tested for dirt and
| the presence of bacteria. is a feature
of the utmost Importance to the
Health Oh the community. Il1S de-
partment has attained its growth I'M
der the supervision of Commissioner
| Porter.
When the Public Health Nursing
association was an established factor
in the welfare of the city. it was
taken over and made part of
| Porter's department and has done a
| work of tremendous value under his
supervision. He has also been re-
sponsible for the employment of a
city health officer on the city's staff
of health officers, and recently added
an assistant health officer. The de-
partment of food inspection is an
other work that has increased greatly
| in efficiency in the last six Years