Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-17
ANOTHER ROUND ON LIGHTS
ounoil Scheduled to Take Up the Fleming
Idea at Tonights Meeting.
CHEF OF POLICE OPPOSES THE PLAN
says 60 Dispense with street Lights
Would Put the City at the
Mercy of Burglars and
HOIdup Men.
CHEF or POLICE OPPOSES THE PLAN

The street lighting situation Is scheduled
for another round at the meeting Of the city
council tonight and Councilman Fleming
proposition to dispense with all arc lights
on the public thorOushfares until the light
ing company Is prepared to resume It's reg
ular service, It is stated, will meet with de-
feat The proposition has met with general
objection and the consensus Of opinion
seems to favor the lights Lit half the time
rather than not at all.
Under it's contract with the Citizens Gas
and Electric company the city charges the
company up with all outage" SO the city
is at no financial loss by failure Of the
lighting company to render the service con-
tracted for.
At the special meeting Of the city council
last Friday night the committee on fire and
light of which Councilman Younkerman IS
chairman was instructed, at the suggestion
Of Councilman Fleming, to confer with the
police department and ascertain II cutting
out the street lights at night pending re
pairs to the power plant in Omaha would
interfere with its work. Chief of Police
Richmond only returned home yesterday,
but as soon as he heard Of Councilman
Fleming's suggestion, he practically placed
his veto on It. To keep the city in darkness
the entire night, he contended, would be to
place the community at the mercy OF burg
lars, thieves and holdup thugs. I'VE had
much better have such light as the COM
pany can give pending the repairs to Its
plant than no light at ALL" he said.
At the invitation of Manager A. L. Eng
Hsh OF the Citizens Gas and Electric COM
pany members Of the city council and
Commercial club visited the power plant
Of the lighting company in Omaha yester-
day morning. They we're shown how and
where the recent accident to the machinery
! occurred and the efforts the company was
making to repair the damage and get the
plant in full running order again. They
were shown the new machinery which the
company il installing with the expectation
Of preventing a recurrence Of the present
breakdown. The councllmen and others eX-
pressed themselves as satisfied that the
| lighting company was doing the utmost
in SIS power TO remedy the situation and
| that the accident was one for which the
company could not be held responsible.
visit was also made to the power
| plant Of the street railway company. The
trip was made in a special car arranged
for by Manager English OF the Citizens
Gas and Electric company and Electrician
Carr Of the street railway company.
The city council is expected to take some
action tonight relative to securing better
| fire lighting facilities and equipment for the
city. the need OF which was again made
apparent by the IRE last week which de-
stroyed the building and stock Of the
Union Transfer company on South Main
street. Mayor Macrae. II is stated. will
advocate the purchase OF at least one, II
not two, steamers, The need OF larger
water mains In the implement district is
also conceded and this phase OF the ques-
| ton also will be discussed.