Omaha daily bee., 1901-02-13

resents the principal and interest upon ma
turing bonds and coupons and these must
or the city's credit is ruined. believe
that the committee Of property owners eX-
pressed their opposition TO any issue OF
refunding bonds and am therefore OF the
opinion that the taxpayers would rather
meet this sinking fund obliga tion in this
years levy than to have bonds Issued for
the same.
The second item relates TO the police
fund. The levy made for this fund THIS
year on the 81 per cent basis will produce
about $500 From this amount must be
taken the expenses OF the Board OF Fire
and Police Commissioners, which amounts
to about $500 leaving about ss3,5 for the
collections during the year will give us
about SEQ in this department more than
This has seemed to be absolutely neces-
sary to the mayor and council. our police
force is now much smaller than that of
any other city Of our size in the country.
II has been impossible during the last year
to have a patrolman cover any part of the
territory west OF Twenty-nlnth street so
that the best residence portion Of the city
has been entirely without police proteC-
ton. The same has been true with all Of
the outlying districts OF the. city. The
small property owner pays the heaviest
share OF the taxes and We believe that
the people are I'm favor OF having the police
needs.
The third item is $1,000 for an engine
house. The present house on Tenth street,
which affords fire protection to a large
part OF the wholesale and retail district
of the city, has become so dilapitated as
TO make II necessary that they should
have some other quarters and believe
that In view Of the splendid work OF the
fire department the business men of the
city Will favor this item.
The fourth item is street cleaning and
sweeping, S.0". The levy this year. after
paying the overdraft of last year, will leave
us considerably less than we had last year.
] do not believe that this should be crt
on, but | will say at this time that II
the business men of Omaha really want
less money expended for street cleaning
will follow their desires and We will ,ex-
pend only such a part of this fund as the
public desires to have expended.
The next Item is $500 In the street de.
partment This department takes care Of
all street repairs, fills washouts repairs
bridges. makes drains and takes general
care Of emergency expenses which may
casualty, such as heavy floods aud the
like. The two heavy rains last fall took
over $4,000 out OF this fund for repairing
streets, where washouts had occurred or
bridges undermined This is work which
cannot be postponed. IL must be done Inn
medately or the city becomes liable for
The next item was N.cco I'm the library
fund; This cut was made upon the basis
Vinton street This branch has become
very popular among the laboring people
and the poorer people living In the south
part OF tne citN anu u uolng a eIest uea
OF good. I believe II ought to be continued.
The next item $500 interest on war
rants was made on the suggestion that pos
sibly the interest In 1901 might be less
than In 1900. but this is problematical
The last two items are one OF 81 500 for
printing ordinances and the other for 500
clerks salary in compiling the ordinances
OF the city. The city ordinances have not
been compiled since 1880. In the last eleven
years many of the ordinances have been
amended repeatedly, some of them many
as a dozen times. Almost daily IL becomes
necessary for the city to introduce in evil
dence some OF these ordinances in some
litigation in which the city is engag ged and
II Is almost impossible to tell exactly what
the city ordinances are on many subjects.
IL seems practically a necessity to have
these ordinances gotten together in the form
in which they now stand after the numer-
Gus amendments have been made. II is
understood that the clerk who is put in
charge of compiling the ordinances will
only be employed long enough to complete