Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-08

| FlHN VII "a NAAi l'l VI = ulllllul N'lldt6 NOIlu
OF property,
President Bingham was in favor Of
greater millage as a compromise because he
insisted that the school board could compel
/ the council 10 levy whatever 1t needed c
mills If necessary.
| The vote to fix the levy at 3ih mills failed
Of passage and the 3-mill levy was then
adopted by a vote Of to 3. Stuht, Mercer
Mount and Lobeck were in the Affirmative
and Bingham, Burmester and Karr in the
negative
! when the park fund levy was UP, Park
/ Commissioner Cornish made an extended
! argument for an increase over the half
! mill proposed. He said that after deduct
! ing $4,000 for maintenance Of Hanscom park
/ but $4,000 was left for all the rest of the
parks, for constructing bouleyards. for
/ cleaning off Kountze park and other neces-
sary improvements President Evans was
also in favor of increasing the park levy.
How Is it that you ask for an Increase in
! the park levy and as chairman of the tax
! payers meeting ask that the total levy be
kept DOWN." asked Councilman Lobeck
"Well, / am in peculiar position" ad-
mittcd Park Commissioner Evans, but l
believe that you can cut down some other
| fund and give the park fund enough"
bingham Fnvors an Increase.
| President Bingham was in favor OF an
| increase. In the course of his argument he
said 81 presume that these parks are en-
! joyed more by the poorer citizens of Omaha
| than by our wealthy citizens, who can go to
| the mountains for recreation. The poor
people have to go to the parks instead of
the seashore." No increase was made in
the levy, however.
| City Engineer Rose water was called upon
to speak about the levies for his funds
curbing, guttering and cleaning. street
cleaning and sweeping and sewer maintain
ing Regarding the former the city engineer
said that there are $29,60O worth Of con-
tracts and $1,000 shortage to be paid and
yet but 7,453 was appropriated. Sewer
maintaining has cost 100000 a year for ten
years past. Regarding street sweeping the
city engineer pointed out that If only six
miles of downtown streets were swept 250
days a year at SIS mile-the lowest pos
sible fgure-without touching the other
seventy eight miles of streets, the cost
would be $4,000.
But despite this statement and little of
the usual sparring between Stuht and Mer-
Ger and the city engineer the levies were
left at the original figures by the usual vote
of to 8.
City Physician Spaldng pointed out that
available for his department, just enough to
pay the salaries without leaving anything
for work He pointed out that some 81. 900
extra had already been expended in connec-
! tion with the smallpox epidemic and n
might be safely calculated that more would
be needed. Unless $1,000 is appropriated
the city physician asserted that a deficit
will exist at the end of the year. The same
vote, however, was cast against an increase.
Increase for Fire Fund.
The only fund that did not suffer and in
fact, was slightly increased was the fire
fund. 1t was moved that the levy be fixed
al mills. President Bingham insisted that
this fund should not be crippled, because
if it is the fire department will have to
be reduced in the suburban districts. He
declared that the taxpayers in these dis
tricts had small holdings, but paid in pro-
portion to their property as much as the
heavy taxpayers. They were without police
protection without adequate lighting and
with few other city advantages, but did have
a fair fire protection and he was opposed
to taking that away. He therefore moved
that the levy be fixed at 3.4 mills. Coun-
Gilman Lobeck was also in favor of an in
crease and his vote turned the balance.
| Lobeck, Bingham, Burmester and Karr voted
In the affirmative, Mercer, Stuht and Mount
in the negative.
Member Leavitt of the Library board said
| that that board would be- satisfied with its
| levy.
Before taking up the levy matter the
council disposed of quite bit of routine
matter In the course of the meeting the
usual spat occurred between City Engineer
| Rosewater and members OF the council
The first occasion of anything of the kind
L At ts anh frnyI a
number of laboring men, asking that work
| be given them in cleaning the streets Inc
petition was as follows
On behalf Of many citizens Of Omaha, IN
public meeting assembled on the evening OF
! January 27 in Trinity Cathedral chapel,
placed at our disposal by the courtesy oil
| Dean Fair, we would respectfully ask your
| honorable body to proceed at once with the
| repairs of Omaha streets and thereby use
| the unemployed labor now seeking employ
ment in vain. Time checks can be issued
| in payment for said work, to be redeemed
| by the city treasury, when appropriations
may be made for said purpose; for which
| we demand immediate action on behalf OF
| over 200 unemployed citizens present at dhe
above mentioned meeting.
Father Williams was present and urgently
requested that the petition be seriously con-
sidered, that the work be given if it is posi-
BILE. He said that the petitioners only de-
1
did not wish to beg from the county He
| said that he knew that great pressure is be-
| ing brought upon the council to keep down
expenses, yet he hopes that the council
! would do all it could under the crcum-
| stances.
| VIII DO what ii Can.
President Bingham said that the council
| would do what it could, but Councilman
STUNT seized the opportunity to take shot
at City Engineer Rosewater. After saying
that no street cleaning could be done in the
present weather, he continued:
"The employment of men for street work
under the present charter is solely in charge
| of the chairman of the Board of Public
Works and the council has not word to say
about it, You must go to the chairman OF
| the board, who is today the boss of Omaha"
How about the money!" someone asked.
"Ele spends money as he pleases," re-
| sponded STUNT He incurs debts and calls
upon us to pay them. We must pay them
| If we don't he will go to the courts and
make us. These people ought to be helped,
but the council can do nothing"
| "Mr. STUNTS statement is only partially
correct" remarked President Bingham.
| "Unless there is money for the purpose no
! labor can be employed"
| Councilman STUNT took another crack at
the city engineer in connection with COM