Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-16
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
League Of Municipalities Will Re Asked to
Meet in Omaha.
RESISTANCE TO HYDRANT RENTAL BILL
City Attorney Breen RecOmmends
Fight in Court In Preference
to Payment Rt the
Present Rate.

Present Rate.
City officials intend to bring the 1906
convention of the League of American
Municipalities to Omaha. Preliminary to
carrying out this purpose action was taken
by the council last night to appropriate
$500 from the general fund as expense
money for three delegates from this city
to the Toledo convention. August 22-25,
who will go instructed TO employ their
best endeavors TO make the Gate City
the meeting place next summer.
In a separate resolution City Engineer
Rosewater. who will read a paper on
asphalt pavements before the convention,
was named as one of the representatives
and City Attorney Breen was decided upon
as another, leaving only one member for
President Zimman TO appoint Pending the
disposal of the gas fight councilmen are
chary about leaving town and It is possible
that the third delegate will not be of their
number. City Treasurer Hennings has been
suggested a man suitable to the task
expected, out Of regard for his energy
and talent at mixing"
Whoever the delegate is the sentiment
behind him at the city hall is persistently
and loudly for the convention and putting
loIlu Ol every eHOIl 10 OBTAIN IL. Inc
Commercial club and Real Estate ex-
change are to be asked to extend n hand
and help to map out program that will
lure the members Of the league to Omaha
in 1895. Nearly all the councilmen made
speeches In favor Of the enterprise. rec
ognizing. however that other cities want
the convention and to get 1t here will
mean a struggle.
HydrRnt Bills to He Contested.
Information was given out by City At
torney Breen that the Water board and
he propose to resist in court the settle
ment in full of fire hydrant rental bills
OF the Omaha Water company for the last
half of 1904 and the first half of 1905.
Upon the city attorneys advice the coun-
ell rescinded action taken in February CON
Tossing judgment in the federal court to
the bill of S46,1 III for the last six months
! of 1904. The Water company had refused
to accept this confession, demanding the
payment of interest on the money tied
up well as the bill itself. Mr.. Breen
said
The action of the Water board in re-
sisting the last bill will be based prin-
cipally on the ground that for years and
/ in fact always, the water company has
failed to comply with it's contract for
| HIe MIGRANTS TO anything ike the nelBnln
required; also because the company has
refused to put in hydrants when ordered
to do so by the city and Water board
! from time to time.
"I think there is very little doubt that
the company has not been filling the con-
| tract. 1t is now a question of how much
| II can recover, rot under the contract
| but for the worth of the service they
have actually rendered. am persuaded
! from authorities which l have read during
the last few days that this is the best
the company can expect to obtain"
No Tracks on jackson.
On the recommendation OF the committee
| on railways, telegraphs and telephones the
| council refused to pass the ordinance giving
| the Burlington the right 10 lay tracks on
Jackson street from Tenth TO Sixteenth
street The committee said that 1t is not
deemed advisable to grant any such ex-
] tensive privileges TO any one company
! under the conditions obtaining and spe-
cially in the particular part of the city
designated. Protests on the ground that
it would injure their abutting property were
received from the Philadelphia Mortgage
and Trust company, Mrs. c. Fenwick Mrs.
NJ. A. NagL the Cassell Realty company,
Andrew Murphy and Rome Miller.
Acoustics Now Required.
The council chamber will be equipped,
or at least an attempt will be made, so that
auditors sitting behind the railing may
hear what is being said during the course
of business Councilman Huntington had
resolution adopted directing the COM
mittee on buildings to take action towards
this end He stated the acoustics of the
big room are unquestionably bad and that
| the audience on meeting nights is unable
! TO follow what is said. Wires strung across
| the chamber in his opinion, will take up
} the reverberations and help matters a great
deal.
Friendly Lift to Dundee.
A resolution was adopted permitting
! Dundee to connect with the new Saddle
creek sewer in exchange for a fee of 5000
and a contract to bear proportionate eX-
pense in any future enlargement of the
sewer disposal plant
The appointment OF Albert c. Kugel as
plumbing inspector to succeed John L.
Lynch was approved.
! City Attorney Breen reported the petition
asking for paving on Thirty-hfth avenue
from Howard to Jackson street is insult
ficient because the signers attempted to
waive the thirty days required by law to
select material designated asphalt and
. /
widening the street. The council put the
document and petition on file.
Councilman Schroeder had an arc lamT
ordered installed at Twenty-ifth and Pratt
J streets.
Permission was given the Ak-Sar-Ben tc
use the customary streets September n tc
October for the annual oriental carnival
and industrial exposition"
Paving Ordinances.
Ordinances were passed ordering the paw
ing of Thirty-third street from Cunning tC
Charles and Douglas from Twentieth q
Twenty-fourth with Purington brick bloch
Y and Twentieth street from Dodge to Casi
and Howard from Thirty y-ffth avenue tC
Thirty-sixth street with asphalt. Council
man Back chairman Of the paving com
mittee said he had seven more paving
ordinances 10 report on and at his reques
a recess was taken until Thursday night a
7 O'Clock, when they will be acted upon.
| An ordinance was introduced to orde
paving work on Thirtieth street from Dodg,
| - ~, NTH purtngtpu brfclr bIorlr