The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-26
Senate Begins Actual Consid-
Grafton Of New Laws.
Fishers Fire Department Act
Recommended Tuesday.
MUCH DISCUSSION ON BILLS
Salary of City Treasurer Is
Favored as Amended.
Commissioners Given Power to
Order City improvements.

w hIlIng away their time in the abb.
senee of a large number of the mem
bers of the5seuate- atssManhattan,s thei
remaining members Tuesday evening
went into a committee of the whole
for the consideration of bills of local
interests, whose authors were present.
Senate bills Nos. so and 33, by Sena-
tor Fisher, of Shawnee county, were
among the first to be considered. One
of the bills permits the money in the
relief fund of cities of the first class
which have paid fire department,
to be invested in government securities
when the munfcipa bonds of the cities
in which the departments are located
are not available. The present law
only authorizes the investment of the
relief fund money in municipal bonds,
which are not always available. The
bill which had passed the committee
on cities of the first class, was recon-
mended for passage by the committee
of the whole.
Amend Salary Bill.
A second bill by Fisher furnished
the grounds for some discussion, being
the bill which permits cities of the
first class with populations of between
40. 900 and $4,000 to fix the salary of
their city treasurers at not more than
=
islands as a new statute and not as an
amendment to the old one, the bin was
recommended for passage.
Senate bill No. "a. by Senator Carr
w. Taylor, of Hutch nson, provides
that the city commissioners and
MAYORS of cities of the first class may
order the installation of water service
pipes, gas service pipes or, sewers
along streets in which paving has been
ordered. The object of the bill is to
get the pipes installed before the paw
ing is laid, to obviate the necessity of
| tearing up the paving later.
! The commissioners and mayor, &C
cording to the bill, have the power to
order the improvem ents made. and If
they are not completed within a stated
length of. time, to install them. and
4 collect the cost from the owners of
| the property along the street.
! With two slight amendments the
4 bill was recommended for passage by
the committee.
/ Pass Paving Measure.
Senate bill No. II, by Senator Ridg
way. of kansas City. Kan. which linz
its the amount of paving which may
be contracted for by city of the first
class with population of more than
$4,000 to 100000 a year, was passed
| by the committee.
When Senator Watkins, of Cherry
vale. sought to amend the present law
in regard to the payment of poll tax
or its working out" by men not able
to pay, so that only able bodied men
should be required to pay the taX~or
work it out on the roads at $3.50 a
i day. he started a renewal of the poll
tax fight which has been d feature of
previous sessions. The average city
man objects to paying the tax at all.
Senator Coleman first objected to
the bill, and Senator Fisher then
sought to have it amended in such a
fashion that residents of cities with a
! population of more than $4,000, which
would include Topeka, would neither
have to pay the tax nor work it out.
No Action on Poll Tax Bill.
Senator Skidmore. of Cherokee
county, suggested that he was prepar-
ing a poll tax bill which he thought
would solve all the problems, and it
was agreed that the bill should be left
on the calendar for further discussion.
when the Skidnore bill is ready
Senator Paul Kimba1l, of Parsons
acted as chairman of the committee OF
! the whole when the senate resolved
itself into that body.
Following the consideration Of the
bills whose authors were present and
ready to explain them, the committed
rose, made it's report to itself as a re-
port on progress and teen adjourned
to meet again at 10 o'clock this morn
| ing.
The action Tuesday afternoon is the
first in which there has been actual
debate on bills. and any progress made
| toward their passage, in the senate
! Hitherto all the argument has jeen in
committees. and the senate is still
awaiting their report on most of the
measures which have been introduced