Omaha daily bee., 1898-01-18
CITY COUNCIL AS COMMITTEE
Several Important Matters Discussed
Informally Among Members,
TO REGULATE TELEPHONES AND BICYCLES
Price of One and Speed of the other
Given Thorough Consideration
Nothing settled on the
Questions.

The city council met yesterday forenoon
as a committee OF the whole for the cen
sideration of several matters that were to be
submitted for examination. one was the
charges that have been made against Street
Commissioner Hardin, who has been accused
by ether sidewalk contractors of having used
his official position to secure contrlcts to
construct sidewalks at prices below the ac-
tual cost, and alleging that there were
grounds for the suspicion that the street
commissioner was making use of his posi-
tion and means as one of the heads OF de-
partments to do the work. The bids have
been filed in the name Of his son. TIE
street commissioner was on hlin1 ready to
confront his accusers and show the council
that he had no interest in the contracts let
to his son and to disproye all OF the other
phases OF the charge. The other side wus
not represented and the matter was not
taken up. The committee voted to recon-
mend the approval cf the bonds Of John
Skinkle, the successful bidder for the con-
tracts to construct lot of plank sidewalks
in the western part of the city.
Two other important matters were dis
cussed in an informal manner, but no action
was taken. One was tle new ordnance ir.-
truluCed by Alderman O,Sper regulating and
greatly reducing the telephone tolls, and the
other was the bicycle ordinance that was
introduced several months ago. The new
telephone ordinance requires the Nebraska
company to reduce its tolls to q limit that
is far less than has ever been thought of
charging in pny western city. The price
named in the new ordinance is 81 per month
for all telephones In private residences Ind
81 for these located in offices and business
houses. The present rate is $3.50 for resi-
dcnCes and $3.50 for business houses. Friends
of the ordinance claim that tle telephone
,tapr, i- inn tiph hoe yiah
from the excessive tolls collected from sub
Scribers in years gone and that the prices
named in the new ordinance will pay all
operating expenses Of the exchange and re-
turn a handsome profit on that investment
nle telephone company and the people gen
enllly have not regarded Alderman Casper's
ordinance as a serious menace to the in
come Of the company until within the list
few days. A communication wGs received
yesterday from the managers of the COM
pany asking the council to defer consIlera-
tiOn of the ordinance until they could be
heard. The receipt of this communication
caused the postponement of the discussion
yesterday. 1t was intimated ON the streets
yesterday that the managers of the telephone
company had declared that If the council saw
ht to enact such an ordinance, the company
would close it's exchange here and withdraw
from the city. The matter was deferred
until the special meeting OF the council,
which has been called for Thursday might,
to consider 1t.
The bicycle ordinance was talked about
TO sCme extent ami the fact disclosed that
several of the aldermen were in favor Of
It's passage. The ordinance regulates the
speed Of wheelmen when riding through the
streets and makes it a misdemoinor to go
faster than ten miles an hour. 1t also pre-
vides for the carrying of lamps and bells
and all of the paraphernaEa that some
cities and mlny small country boroughs have
seen fit to attach to bicycles. A number Of
wheelmen were present and listened to the
discussion and at the conclusion announced
their intention of opposing the ordinance in
its present form. Several Of its features
meet their approval and they will sustain
the council in the effort to fass 1t, provided
some of the other restrictions are removed.
They favor the provision that hits the
scorcher and are willing to attach bells for
the accommodation of the careless indivi-
dual who bolts across the street in the middle
of the block without looking to the right or
left and who would not try to dodge a can
non ball, but they oppose the lamp feature
unless the ordinance is made to include all
other vehicles. This ordinance will also be
brought up for consideration at the meeting
on Thursday night.