Omaha daily bee., 1896-03-01
LEAK IN THE CITY TREASURY
Money Going for Hydrants Not Ordered by
the Council.
UNAUTHORIZED EXPENSE $4,000 YEARLY
Facts brought 20 Light by the Comp
troIIcr's ChcclsinE-How Long IL
Has Bccn Going
Not known.

mere accident has been the cause Of
bringing out the fact that the city is paying
the American Water Works company for
a large number Of FIRE hydrants that have
been put in without authority. They have
simply been located by the water works
company and the city has paid the bills
without objection, just as though the hy-
drants had been ordered by the council.
Tho facts were discovered by reason Of an
accidental reference of the last bills to
Comptroller Westberg. 1t has never been
customary to refer the bills for hydrants,
electric lights, etc, to the comptroller.
They have simply been referred to council
committee and allowed on the recommenda-
tion of the committee. AS the corporations
have invariably dictated the organization of
the committees to some extent they have seen
that the committees to which their bills
would be referred were not composed OF
members who would be likely to denounce
their course.
But when the bill Of the water works COM
pany for the last six months of 1895 was
presented IL was referred to the new COM
mttee on fire and water, Of which Council
man Burmester Is chairman Burmester
supposed that the bill had to be o. KID by
the comptroller and accordingly turned it
over to Comptroller Westberg The comp
troller refused to O. X. the bill until he had
checked it up, and the result was that he
began to check the items. This process has
not been completed. but so far Comptroller
Westberg says he has discovered twenty
five hydrants which were included in the
bill, but which were never ordered by the
council. Many others have never been
authorized by ordinance, but were put In by
virtue Of reports Of committees which were
favorable to their location How long the
city has been paying for these unauthorized
hydrants has not been ascertained. As the
increase has not been apparent in recent
bills, 1t is presumed that the fraud has been
going on for several years. complete
checking up that would show the exact
amount out of which the city had been
cheated would involve checking over all
the previous bills, which would require con-
siderable time
Comptroller Westberg says that the discov
cry of the unauthorized hydrants is sufficient
evidence that a more businesslike checking
system should be instituted. All bills of this
character, he says, should be referred to the
comptroller, or some other official, and thor
oughy checked up in each case. III TINS was
done, he believes sufficient saving would
be effected to more than pay the entire ex-
penses of the comptrollers office. 1t would
call attention to the numerous electric lights
on railroad crossings and elsewhere, lot
which the city is now paying out money un-
and prevent any possible padding
of the bills.
There is absolutely no data to show how
the extra hydrants came to be located
Whether they were put in by the water
works company at its own instance, or at
the request of councilmen who promised to
get the necessary ordinances passed, does not
appear. But the figures show that the city is |
paying $50 each for at least twenty-five hy- |
drants that are absolutely unauthorized by |
any municipal authority. Mr.. Westberg is |
tabulation showing the location |
Of the extra hydrants, which will probably |
be transmitted to the council at the next |
meeting