Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-15
AFFAIRS At SOLTH OMAHA
lass Reeting on Sewer Question Decides
Bonds Are Necessary,
COMMITTEE NAMED TO CONSULT ON TOPIC
City VIII Try 90 Arrange with stock
Yards aud Packing Houses Tor
the Construction of the
Necessary Drains.

'aApaStIS Vi south Omdha assembled in
mass meeting at the Ancient order of
United Workmen temple. Thursday even
ing. to discuss the $4,000 sewer bonds
proposition, which was defeated at the last
general election. The meeting was called
informally by the mayor and city council
Mayor Koutsky called the mass meeting to
order. Dick o'feeffe was elected chairman
and w. b. Check secretary.
Chairman O'Keeffe gave brief outline
OF the purposes of the meeting and City
Attorney Lambert spoke at considerable
length, his address being a virtual reitera-
tion Of his official opinion submitted to the
council upon the validity of the contract
between the city and the Union Stock Yards
company. entered into in August, 1888. rela-
tive to the construction and maintenance
of the sewer system of the city.
The entire plan as submitted by Engineer
Rosewater of Omaha would involve Il COM
plete expenditure of 100000 said Mr.. Lam
bert. The recent election was to vote for
"A part of the system bonds to the amount
OF S2Jo.Coo. and was defeated. The reasons
Tor the defeat of the proposition, were the
general understanding of the contract with
the Stock Yards company, which required
that company to build and maintain the
sewerage system of the city and for the
additional reason that the stock yards
should at least be required to take part of
the burden of the new system, as 1t was the
one concern OF the city that would reap
the greatest benefit from sewerage sys-
tenn. The contract with the Stock Yards
company was to run for nnety-nine years
and at the end of that timc the city had
no rights of recovery for the system.
which would become the absolute property
of the Stock Yards company In Justice
however, the stock yards should pay the
greater share for the work because of the
greater benefits derived. 1t should also be
required to pay back TO the city the SOFIA
hitherto paid; it by the city for the partial
use of the tunnel. Mr.. lambert then told
of the status of the damage suits pending
in the courts against the city and Stock
Yards company, growing out of the Stink
creek nuisance. and the. limit of time given
the city, April 1906, to abate the nuisance
stock Yards Comp"ny's side.
Sup -rintendent Kenyon Of the Unicn Stock
Yards company gave d brief history Of the
early sewer system of the city, which had
been built and maintained by the Stock
Yards company when the city was young
and unable to construct a sewer system He
then outlined the relations of the city to the
tunIlel sewer Wnlcn nad Decn built by the
company, and which had relieved the sew
age situation very materially He spoke
also Of the construction of 1000 feet of
eight-foot brick sewer by the company at
a cost of $4,000. TO which the city had made
both sanitary and storm connections with
out protest by the company, this sewer ex-
tending from the north line of l. street to
the south line OF the Swift property He
said: 1.-THE Stock Yards company has but
one contract with the city. 1t cannot alb,
rogate that contract. but the city can alb
rogate 1t on ninety days notice." On the
matter of the proposition of the $3.50, 600
bonds for a sewerage system, he gave an
interes ing array of figures, and stated that:
"Of this amount the Stock Yards Company's
proportion OF tax would be 20 per cent: the
packing companies 10 per cent. the other
public corporations over 10 per cent and the
three banks OF the city per cent, or 81
per cent OF the whole amount leaving the
citizens to pay but IS per cent. In round
numbers the Stock Yards company would
pay $4,000 of these bonds"
Messrs o'Keeffe. Adkins and Lambert
each spoke briefly to the effect that nobody
wanted to punish the Stock Yards COM
pany or packing companies, but simply
wanted a fair deal.