Baxter Springs news., 1919-02-14

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remedy the trouble.
Mayor Wright's plan in substance
was to 20 ahead and take legal steps
| to condemn the old plant and take It
over for the city and for the present
year use the balance Of the $50, 900
in improving the system SO rs to pro-
vide fire protection for the business
district forthwith and increase the
supply Of water throughout the entire
city. This he thought might be done
with only one well for the present at
the new site, used in conjunction with
the old well, on which the city would
have q 20 year lease at $1.OO q year.
By doing this the Mayor argued the
city might provide water supply ad-
equate to the present needs without
bonding the taxpayers any heavier,
except for the purchase of the old
plant funds for which would have to
be provided by q separate bond issue,
since the law does not permit the use
Of any Of the present water fund for
that purpose. But this would mean
not to exceed $4,000 perhaps, while
to corhplete an altogether new plant
would require a bond issue Of perhaps
100000.
The mayor recommended that the
council do not contract for the second
well now but instead proceed with the
installation Of the pumping plant and
reservoir at the new site, and in the
meantime institute proceedings and
take over the old plant for the citys
use. He stated that on inquiry from
many taxpayers he was convinced that
his plan was favored by the taxpay-
ers in general. But he was voted
down, all four of the councilmen pres
ent voted for the drilling of the Sec
ond well. Not all, however, were ad-
verse to the purchase by condemns
tion of the old water plant.
The city council was hOnored Tues.
night by q personal visit from Hugh
McIndoo, formerly mayor Of Joplin.
It appears that Mr.. McIndoO bought
four lots in Baxter Springs some
months back and later discovered that
the city was using them as part Of a
street. He wanted to know whether
he had any right to his purchase or
not. The lots ore Nos. s, 6, z and 8,
in block Z, HOrner's addition. They
were for years allowed to fall back to
the state for non-payment Of taxes,
and when the boom came on were
bought up on tax title and eventual
ly sold to Mr.. McIndoo and Henry Hor-
ton. To connect the story, it should be
stated, that these lots are on the west
side of Military street directly in line
with what is now Fifteenth street, and
for so many years that memory run
meth not to the contrary, had been
and now are used by the city as n
part Of Fifteenth street. City At
torney Rosenstein stated that under
the usual circumstances the statute
of limitation or something like that
would have given the city ownership
Of the ground by reason Of it having
held undisputed possession for more
than fifteen years. But it appears
that the city has been disputing its
own right to them by annually assess
ing the lots in the name Of q private
citizen and only last year the lots
were assessed at q good valuation for
the building Of the sewer. So there
is q question for legal heads to decide
whether the city can keep the lots
without paying for them, or whether
it must pay the present owner for
them, under condemnation proceed
ings: Anyway It was the opinion that
the street must be kept open. The
matter was left for City Attorney
Rosenstein to look up, particularly 70
zee whether the original plat on hle
showed the ground as q street, or as
lotS under private ownership.
The Gas cOmpany's bin to the city