Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-02-26
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
New Contract with Electric Light Company
Gets Approval.
COST OF STREET LIGHTS IS LOWERED som
Twenty Dollars a Year Cut on and
Royalty on Gross Receipts of
Company to he Paid
the City.

Last night was an evening Of oratory In
the city council chamber. the motif Of the
eloquence being the new contract with the
electric light company. Lobeck was the
only member present who opposed the con-
tract; all the others favored 1t, but no two
of them favored 1t for the same reason,
so there was ample opportunity for the dis
play Of forensic power. When nothing re-
mained to be said about the contract the
discussion turned on a point Of parliament
airy rules.
The contract with the New Omaha Thorn
SON. Houston Electric Light company was
finally approved. According 10 its terms,
the concern will furnish arc lamps at $94,50
per year. provided the city will order at
least 800 such lamps, and It will pay the city
a royalty of per cent per annum on its
gross receipts. This is a reduction Of $40
per year per lamp. as the price paid under
the old contract was 3114.50 per lamp. and
the royalty is also a new feature. The con-
tract is good from December 81, 1902, to
December 81, 1905.
One of the most attentive listeners to the
discussion was Fred Nash, president OF the
electric light company.
Municipal Ownership Suggested.
The confusion began when Trostler moved
an amendment to the resolution to the
effect that the contract of the Omaha Gas
company be extended with that of the
electric light company, and that both be
made to expire at the same time. Then
Lobeck moved a substitute, which provided
that the city attorney be instructed to pre-
pare an ordinance submitting to a vote Of
the people at the regular election this fall
the question OF building conduits to put the
electric wires under ground, and the ques-
tion Of the municipal ownership Of the gas
plant.
when you were up for election" he re-
sumed, you pledged yourselves to munich
pal ownership, and now you want to ex-
tend the time OF this company. l have no
objection to the terms named in this con-
tract. think them reasonable, but say
there is no hurry about approving the con-
tract"
In his reply to this Hascall urged at great
length the inability of the city to undertake
such an extensive project as conduits at
the present time and declared in favor OF
the contract.
Zimman was not in favor of conduits
either. Il think" said he, that this city
will have its hands full II 1t undertakes
municipal ownership of the water works.
We can't build conduits anyway, because
we're enjoined from doing SO by the courts o
Mount said: THE price named in that
contract is as low as any city of this class
RS getting in this western country and we
can not do better than to accept this op-
portunity. The city can not afford to build
conduita. < s@
The aVss and nays were called for, and
Lobeck's substitute motion was lost by a
vote Of to 1.
The motion to extend the time of the
gas company to a time equal to that of the
electric light company was lost by a vote
! of 4 to 4.
Contract for Electric Lights.
When finally the discussion reverted tc
the original resolution, that the contract
with the electric light company be APP
proved, Lobeck raised the point as tc
| whether the decrease in the price Of lamps
became effective December 81, 1902, or De-
| cember 81 1901. reference to the con-
tract showed that the first date was named
This discovery created furore for mo-
ment. without formality the council re-
solved itself into a sort of committee oi
the whole to digest this point, but Fred
Nash came to the front with a statement
that set everything right. 1t was a mis-
take, he said It was intended that the
reduction in the price of lamps should &c
into effect December 81, 1901.
| Somebody seized a pen and amended this
clause Of the contract, making a differenc,
Of $40 per lamp on 1856 lamps. and result
| ing in a saving to the city of $500.
| 1t looked like happy thought, but Il
came within an ace of shelving the entir,
project, because the point was raised
Doesn't this invalidate the bond that 1,
attached to the contract?"
Zimman and Trostler thought 1t did, and
resulted in their voting against it, though
before the change was made they were fav
orable TO it. 1t finally carried by vote o
s to 3.
Market House Matters.
The appointments Of John o. Detweller
Lewis N. Gonden and Charles L. Thomas
to act as appraisers of damages as the re
suit Of the vscating of Capitol avenue be
tween Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets 70
the erection of a maket house. which wor,
received from the mayor, were approved.
A communication signed by twenty com
mission firms asking that an ordinance b.
passed defining district in the vicinity o
Eleventh and Howard streets to be set asid
as a wholesale market was referred to tn
public properties committee.
| The clerk was ordered to advertise tn
fact that the city council will sit as a boar,
OF equalization March II, IL and 13 to "con
slider the proposed levy Of special benefit
and equalize the proposed levy Of specia
taxes and assessments" to cover the cos
of several improvements. The improve
menus are the building Of sewers in sevel
different sewer districts, and the gradin
of Forty-second street from Farnam I
Dodge.
A contract with the Western Paving an
Supply company to pave Cass street fror
Sixteenth to Twenty-second with sheet as
phalt was approved. The work is to COS
s1.52 per square yard.
These councilmen were present: Lobech
Mount. Whitehorn. zimman. Hoye, Trostle
and Hascall.