The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-04
Will COST MORE
Total of $685., 200 May Be Spent
on County Hospital.
Increase of S235,OOO Over the
Bonds Voted.
COMMISSIONERS OPEN BIDS
Must Now Wait for Legislature
to Amend Law.
May Be. Necessary to Buy Ten
Acres of Land.

Shawnee countys new home and
hospital project. for which the tax
payers voted bonds in the amount of
$4,000 last year. will cost approx
mateIy s2S5.OOO by the time it is COM
pleted, according to estimates today.
This is about $3.50 in excess of
what IVES contemplated.
When bids for the construction of
the county hospital were opened by
the county commissioners Friday al
ternoon. it was discovered that the
lowest bid far exceeded the S5O4OOO
which the county has on hand 10 de-
vote to the purpose. 1t became evil
dent that the county must wait until
the legislature amends the law to al
low more bonds to be voted before
the enterprise can be brought to COM
ple.ion.
Cannot Exceed $4,000.
Under the Kansas statute, a county
wishing to erect a county home and
hospital must vote bonds in an
amount not to exceed 1000. These
bonds must run for twenty years.
drawing interest at the rate of five
per cent This means that the inter-
est will amount to as much as the
principal during the twenty years. In
other words. the tax payers spend 81
for every 81 of value received. 1t was
under this law that Shawnee county
began her home and hospital project.
1t was the intention of the county
commissioners to erect the home and
hospital on the county farm of forty
acres lying north of the city. and with
in easy access by motor. The build
ings on this farm were crowded and
in a state of dilapidation and new
ones were needed. But after arrange
ments were made for the construction
Of the new building the Shawnee
County Medical society and the Rotary
club began injunction proceedings
against the commissioners to compel
them to purchase more land and build
the hospital in town. Judge George
II Whitcomb in the district court de-
cided in favor of the commissioners
and the work on the county home was
begun. But the plaintiffs appealed the
case to the supreme court, which re-
versed the decision of the lower court
This was the first decisive blow in the
controversy that will cost the county
81 1000 additional.
Having already started work on the
new building on the county farm,
where the building was badly needed.
the comm 'ssioners decided to COM
plete it rather than sacrifice the mon
ev that had already been expended.
This building. by the time it was fully
equipped will have cost $4,000 1t
had to be paid for out of the 1918 tax
lcvies. because the law required that
the $4,000 bonds must be spent for a
county home and hospital. The two
Topeka societies had scored victory
that was to prove boomerang.
May Buy More Land.
1t is now necessary for the commits
soners to purchase ten acres of land
near the city, and they believe it will
cost them. in round numbers. $4,000.
1t will cost at least 500, 900 more TO
erect the buildings and properly equip
thom This means that an additional
$50. 900 in bonds must be voted as soon
as the law will permit it, and that the
taxpayers VIII have to spend another
$4,000 for interest. In this way is the
ont re county paving for the legal vic