Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-29
HALT In WATER WORKS PLAN
Special Committee Of the City Council
Ieashes No Agreement.
TWO BILLS READY FOR LEGISLATURE
some Opposition to Requirement of
the Plant IL Being Manifest Even
should the City BE Able TO
Accomplish the Result.

The conference scheduled for yesterday
between the special wateI works committee
OF the city council and representatives of
the waterworks company failed to ma
tcrialize and announcement was made that
IL had been postponed until today.
Anticipating that some agreement would
be reached in tie meantime the special
meeting of the city council called by Mayor
Macrae for last Tuesday night was post
poned Until this evening, but yesterday City
Clerk Zurmuehlen stated that his under
standing was that the meeting had been
called of and that there would be ses-
sion of the city council before the regular
monthly meeting on Monday, February 5.
The two bills providing for amendments
to the present status governing the ndebt-
edness of municipalities, which are designed
TO remove certain obstacles In the path Of
Council Bluffs acquiring by purchase the
waterworks plant of the Council Bluffs City
Waterworks company, have been drafted by
Harl G. FINLEY, special counsel for the city
In this matter. and have been placed in the
hands of State Senator Saunders. The two
measures, the provisions of which have
been previously published in The Bee. have
been approved by the special city council
committee and the legal representatives of
that little If any opposition will be made to
the passage of the two measures.
With the enactment by the legislature of
the two proposed bills II IL believed that the
city will then be in position to acquire
ownership of the waterworks providing an
agreement as to the purchase value of the
plant can be reached. and last, but not
least providing the people of the city by
their vote at the special election declare
themselves in favor Of the proposition.
some Opposition Manifest.
While two years ago the democrats made
municipal ownership OF the waterworks one
OF the prominent features of their platform
at the city election there is no certainty
that the people a rule are in favor OF
the proposition. In fact, with many there
Is a decided opposition to the city purchas-
ing the plant at this time. This opposition
arises from the fact that municipal owner
ship of the waterworks would undoubtedly
mean increased taxation for a number OF
years. Opponents of municipal ownership
also contend that necessarily the water
works and it's management would become q
factor in politics every city election and
that with every change of administration a
change In the management of the plant
might be expected
klty SoHcltor snyder mas Deen INFORMED
that at the present session OF the legislature
a bill will be introduced at the request OF
the municipal authorities of Sioux City re-
curing corporations operating public utili.
ties, such as waterworks, electric light and
gas plants, to file every year with the city
clerk detailed inventory or statement OF
revenue. expenditures. value OF plant. ex
tensions. etc. The object OF the filing Of
such a statement is, so It is stated. to en-
able municipal authorities to obtain an in
telligent basis on which to regulate rates
under the existing laws they are empow
cred to do.