The Topeka state journal., 1922-12-15
Kansas Engineers Discuss COn-
dition of Highways.
Construction Should Be Han
died by County Engineers.
CONVENTION WILL END TODAY
Session Devoted 10
Water Problems in State.
Judge Higgins Tells of Kansas
Industrial Court.

Today's program of the fifteenth an
nual stale convention of the kansas
Engineering society opened with a
meeting of the executive committee OF
the society at the Chamber of Com
merce this morning.
The hearing of reports of commit
tees on various phases of engineering
activity was resumed at $3.50 O'Clock
this morning.
The committees and the chairmen.
pavement, G. A. Forter, Wichita.
chairman; petroleum products. $. A.
Sulentic, El Dorado, chairman; rail
roads, f. F. Frazier. faculty of the
Kansas State Agricultural college.
Manhattan. chairman; refrigeration.
w. J. King. Oswego. chairman, sew
erage and stream pollution, Albert II
Jewell, chief engineer of the state
board of health, Lawrence. chairman
telephony and signalling, Z. X. DsW-
ley, Manhattan, chairman; valuation.
Springs, chairman; water power. ID. G..
Ackers, Abilene, chairman; surveys.
Herbert A. Rowland. county engineer
of Mcpherson county. chairman.
Highway Section Meets
Earth roads formed the chief topic
of discussion a a meeting of the high
way section of the society under the
auspices of the committee on high
ways. of which Prof L. L. Curfman or
the Kansas State Normal school at
The fact that earth roads will al
ways be in use IN Kansas. and the
conclusion that they should be han
died by the county engineers as local
problems, were brought out in the de-
Hberations of the committed
There are fewer than a dozen To-
peka engineers, out of more than 100
members of the profession in Topeka
who are registered at the convention
and attending the sessions, ]. 1f.
Averill, secretary. said today
To Discuss Water Problems.
This afternoon the entire program
Is devoted to the consideration OF
waterworks and water publication
plants, with Ernest Boyce. assistant
engineer for the state board of health,
as chairman of the committee. The
program will end with a visit OF in
spection to the new Topeka water
works improvement plant west OF the
city.
The convention will end with a busi-
ness session at which the reports OF
convention committees and the cleo
ton of officers, will be the chief items
OF interest.
With the echoes of a bitter fight
against the Kansas Industrial relations
law still reverberating and on the
horizon a cloud of legislators and
others who have what they think ~
good for it and are itching to apply
their individual panaceas, Judge Va
l.. Higgins, presiding Judge of the
Kansas court of industrial relations,
Friday night took up the cudgels in
behalf of the law and declared his be-
lief in the principles O.. which II ~
founded and its ultimate success. In
an address before the members OF the
Kansas Engineering society at tho
Chamber of Commerce.
Urges Continuance OF the Law.
The Kansas court of industrial re-
lations must succeed, Judge Higgins
declared, because 1t is founded on the
ancient and accepted principles OF
common law, only maki..g a new ap-
plication of them. and because, next
to the question of international peace.
the question of Industrial peace is the
most important before the world TO-
day"
Declaring that the principle Of gov
operation and control Of pub
lie utilities Is neither ne '. nor socialis-
tic. Judge Huggins declared that the
Kansas Industrial court law only e&-
tends the operation of tho federal laws
and the common law, as applied 10
industries which are impressed with
the public interest. The new applica-
ton of the principle is to the labor
employed in these industries, as well
as to the ca li4al and the owners, the
Judge ASSERTED.
Calling the roll of some of the OBJ
jections which are offered against the
court, Judge Higgins denied
that in any way it enforces involun-
tary servitude
''The law specifically provides the
right of the working man to quit his
job, individually Or collectively. when
ever he sees fit" the Judge asserted.
TT only provides that when he quits
his job he shall not prevent another
man from taking It. 1t is directed
gainst Involuntary idleness. It pro-
-ects the most sacred right of man
he right to work If he wants to.
In spite of this, It is reiterated by
he labor leaders that the law pro-
,fdes for involuntary servitude, and
not only by labor leaders, but by al
eyed highbrows who write magazine
articles"
Judge Huggins declared that when
men conspire together to quit their
(Cnntihued on Page TWo-J