Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-10
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Electric Lighting Bids Presented,
But Consideration liz Postnoned

Electric Lighting Bids Presented,
Hut Consideration is Postponed.
when the bids on the electric lighting
proposition were opened at the regular meet
ing OF the city council last night it was
found that three of the firms bidding had
| failed to comply with the requirements of
! the city's advertisement by not enclosing
with their bid a certified check on a local
bank in the sum of 81. 900 The firms which
failed to do this were the j. p. Miller COM
pany, the Seckner Contracting company and
the Municipal Construction company, all of
| Chicago 1t was decided to reject all three
bids and this left but two, those OF Thomas
Bowman and the local company, to be con-
sidered, e. A. Wickham having been granted
permission to withdraw his before they
were opened.
There was some surprise manifested when
with the clerk was that of ex- Postmaster
Bowman. as it was not known that he was
in the field. Although he declined to give
any names at this date, Mr.. Bowman said
he represented a number of local parties
who were prepared to form a company and
build a plant provided they could secure
the contract for the city lighting Bow
mans bid contained practically six propo-
sitions. With five years contract he Of
fered to furnish the city with open lamp arc
lights at $40 each per annum or alternating
lamp arc lights at s75 each per annum.
With n ten-year contract the open lamp
arc lights would be $65 each per annum
and the alternating lamp lights $75 each
per annum. With fifteen-year contract, the
price per annum per lamp for open lamp
lights would $3.50 and for alternating lamp
lights $3.50.
The bid Of the Council Bluffs Gas and
Electric company contained seven propo-
sitions. The first two were for fve-year
contracts when the company would fur
nish $50 arc lights at s73 per light per an
mum, any additional lights to be furnished
at same rate or on sliding scale for FIVE
years from S75 for the first year to $71 for
the NTH. The third and fourth propositions
were contingent on ten years contract
when the price per lamp per annum would
be $3.50 or $6S50 per lamp for the first
hye years, with a Encouragement of prices
at the expiration CT the first five years to
correspond with the then existing conditions
OF business. The fifth, sixth and seventh
propositions were on a fifteen years con-
tract, the price on a straight contract for
that period being s65 per light per annum
or s67.5O for the first five years, with the
understanding that at the expiration of each
fye-year period there shall be rearrange-
ment OF prices to correspond with the then
existing conditions of business. The
last proposition is sliding scale OF prices
on fiteenye contract, commencing at
S72 for the first year down to s5S per lamp
for the fifteenth and last year.
The bids were referred to the committee
OF the whole, which will meet Saturday
night
Although 1t was the first regular meeting
OF the month very little business beyond
allowing the usual grist OF bills was trans
acted. Israel Loyett. the electrician en-
ployed at the instance of Alderman Casper
in connection with the city lighting propo-
sition, was allowed further sum OF s6S.7G
in addition to the amount already paid him
for his services. Some OF the aldermen