Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-10
AFFAIRS At SOUTH OMAHA
City il Able to Meet Interest Charges
Without Borrowing,
HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION GETS A CHANCE
Proposition 60 Convert the Residence
of Ed Johnston Into HospitsI-Re-
pairs 20 q street viRduct
Are Suggested.

For the first time in many months South
Omaha finds itself able to meet its obli-
cations at the state fiscal agency in New
York City without going through the pro-
cess Of borrowing money from local banks.
There will be due on October / S37, 900. This
money will come from improvement dis
tricts and from the interest fund. All the
districts included in this payment have
paid in their installments and the interest
has been provided for.
This sum Of s37 900 is the largest the city
has been called upon to pay to the state
fiscal agency at any one time in years and
It is certainly a credit to the administra-
tion to show the people that It lie not neces-
sary to borrow money with which to meet
this payment.
OF course some Of the funds are already
depleted but care has been taken to see
that the obligations due on the date men,
toned were taken care OF.
With the credit of the city maintained
at the fiscal agency it will not be a hard
matter to float loans in case the people
should vote for Improvement bonds at the
election in November.
New Hospital Project.
Members Of the South Omaha Hospital
association were given an opportunity yes
terday afternoon to secure the residence
OF Ed Johnston at Thirty-sixth and f
streets for hospital purposes. W. S. King,
one Of the promoters OF the present hos
pital, made the proposition to the men,
bers Of the association. Certain conditions
will have to be followed out in case the
association can see its way clear to &C
cept the terms. The details as submitted
by Mr.. King cannot, for obvious reasons be
made public at this time. An early an
swer from the association is expected. Both
! Mr.. and Mrs. Johnston are In the east at
the present time, so the terms of the prop
| osition could not be obtained last night.
Mr.. King and the members Of the assocla-
ton with whom he talked also declined
to discuss the matter beyond saying that
such a proposition had been made.
~ Needs Fixing.
The flooring of the Q street viaduct is in
bad shape again. This bridge is now in
charge Of the railroad companies. which
use the crossing under 1t, and the city
council will be called upon soon to request
the Union Stock Yards company and the
Union Pacific Railroad company to make
the proper repairs. This bridge has not
been repaired properly for a long time,
but the city fathers will insist that the
| HOOIluk DC IthGNtd NAo "AhNNA 80 -"
AS II is now the holes in the planking have
been covered temporarily with bosrds Of
any size and thickness that happens to be
handy.
Some improvements ought also to be
made by the street car company in its
| tracks or else new planking should be laid
between the tracks, as well as proper APP
| proaches to the tracks for teams. 1t is
a long time since this vladuct has been In
such a deplorable condition.
Building Permits, Scarce.
There seems to be a dearth of aoolica-
lions for building permits Just now. Ma
terial dealers are selling stuff right along,
but the permits don't Issue. The only per
NIT asked for at the inspectors office yes
terday was By Contractor Mcdonald for the
two-room addition to Hawthorne school.
These rooms are practically completed.
In order to save money Mayor Koutsky
did not appoint a building inspector when
his term OF ONCE commenced, but instead
delegated these duties to City Engineer
Beal. Beal is busy with other work and
cannot pay particular attention to the con-
struction of new buildings and the issuing
Of permits. AS 1t is now all Of the money
for building permits is placed in the library
fund in order to keep the institution going.
II is asserted that more permits would be
called for II there was an inspector APP
pointed who had nothing else to do but
look after the erection Of new buildings.
VIII Commence work Today
Contractor T. c.. Mcdonald said yester-
day that he expected to commence work on
the addition to the Lowell school today.
He spent yesterday forenoon hustling for
graders to excavating. This ad-
ditlon is to be OF four rooms. constructed
Of brick and will cost the school district
$I515. This amount is outside of the fur
nishings, which will be purchased later.
II is asserted by those in authority that
the addition to this school will relieve the
overerowded condition OF Central school and
there will be little dificulty in handling
the children in the old Fourth ward when
the addition is completed. Mcdonald, in
addition to hunting for graders, was busy
ordering material, as the Board Of Educa-
ton wants the rooms as soon as possible.
The new building will be eighty feet long
by thirty-two feet wide and two stories
high.
Coal Dealers Meet.
A meeting Of the coal dealers was held
yesterday afternoon and the price Of an
thracite was discussed. As the Omaha deal
ers raised the rate TO SIS a ton II was
thought that local dealers would do the
same. There was no change in the price
OF hard coal here for the simple reason
that every pound OF anthracite now in the
city has been contracted for and dealers
cannot secure any definite information from
eastern jobbers. There is no coal here to
speak OF that has not been sold. with the
exception of the steam coal used by the