Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-21
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
Hoye Has Separate Ordinances on the Street
Railway Control,
zlMMAN ARGUES FOR MORE REGULATION
Insists that Local Company Enjoys
Privileges for which IL should
Make some Returns to
the City,

telephones to bring his ordnance ioi
street railway concessions up for consider
alton, Councilman Hoye last night intro
duced in the council separate ordinances
demanding the sale of twenty-five tickets
for 81 and a universal transfer system.
The proposition to require only 3-cent fares
from passengers having to stand was
dropped
President, Zimman and Hoye fought to
nave the ordinances laid over under the
rules TO prevent them from going
to the committee, but were defeated by
Back. Comstock. Dybau. Evans. Hunting
ton and Schroeder receiving the support
only of OBrien.
Back endeavored to have Hoye's request
for reading at length turned down, out
was not sustained by Temporary President
Schroeder.
Zimman the Ordinances.
President zmman made a Ions speech
In favor of the ordinances. Said he:
THE committee of railways. telegraphs
and telephones has had the original ordi-
nance in hand for over four weeks. Two
or three efforts have been made at com
mittee meetings to consider various fea-
lures Of IT. but we were informed by Chair
man Evans that he wanted more time and
the members desired to get information
from other cities. To date no information
from other cities has been submitted.
have found a great deal OF valuable in
formation along the lines in question in
the municipal journals received by the
members of the council, and as these pub-
lications are dislnterested. I believe, have
no reason to doubt the tristworthiness of
what have found in them. l observe that
a large number of cities receive royalties
from their street railway companies. rang
, ing from TO per cent on gross receipts;
that in many of these cities from FIVE to
eight tickets are sold for quarter; license
fees are paid for street and poles
paving is required not only between the
rails. but from to two feet outside
at the expense of the traction companies.
: In Omaha we receive nothing for the fran
chises and have none of these things
Back Blames the Charter.
"It is not our fault that the street rail-
way does not pave outside the rails" said
Councilman Back. THAT is fixed by the
charter"
I City councils in other cities have un-
dertaken to do what we are trying and
have succeeded" said Zimman. There is
no question about the power OF the city
council to regulate in the matter of SER
vice and rates. That has been upheld time
: and again by the courts of various states.
In some of these cities have in mind
the traction companies remove the snow;
: In some they put down eleven feet of paw
I. ing and sprinkle the streets upon which
: they operate"
Councilman Evans said: "I have in my
y pocket eight or nine letters received from
- other cities In response to inquiries about
: this matter. asked for more time to get
, this information and 1t is possible I will
be ready to report next week.
Figures from other Cities.
President Zlmman-If the chairman will
promise to take the ordinance up at the
= committee meeting next week have nc
objection to its being referred to his com
mittee. But 1 want to read some of the
: figures 1 have at hand from a number OF
y cities. ...-.
e Councilman Huntington-why not refer
! that to the committee?
President Zimman-We have had the ir>
formation sometime and the committee ha,
l. not exhibited any desire to have il. Il
II has been open to all the members OF ths
y council all along.
h Zimman then read an account Of tn,
IF concessions obtaining in Nashville. Hart
ford. Los Angeles. Lancaster. Pa, Mil
waukee Columbus o., Kansas City. De
{ troit, Indianapolis, Montreal, Cleveland
Minneapolis and other cities.
u In a discussion that followed 1t wa,
brought out that the engineer had sub
mitted a bill of 81 800 to the street railwa,
company for asphalt repairs made last yea
to paving alleged to have been damagec
A. by the company; that the company pro
s. posed to settle for 500. holding that tn,
IS measurements had been inaccurate and tn,
c. city attorney is holding out for 1900.
Is Damage to Pavement.
m "The street railway company has no
replaced or paid for any pavement /
a a 10
ie vious years. said Zimman. According
a. to statements furnished me by Assistan
IN City Engineer Craig. replacements and re
ne pairs three years ago amounted to SI,5CO
~ ~ two years ago about the same and las
year S,6e, according to the bill rendered
no II might be we'll To say here that the fran
"A chise for two of its important lines hel,
. by the street railway company will ex
i pire In about ten years"
!. Councilman Evans said the street railwa
al company is now selling thirty tickets for
- to school children. zimman declared thi
! concession was barred to children owe
: twelve years of age. but Evans said tn
age limit was fifteen years. He asked /
Zimman thought by reducing fares IL wouI
tend to tighten the paving burden OF tn
- people by making the street car peopl
Z more willing Ia shoulder IT,
''It would enable a large saving To IN
e ZlmmaT
1T would result in benefit to their child
rem and homes, ana the money would no
go to eastern stock and bondholders a
dividends on watered stock and inflated va
ne ues"
~ Old Ordinance Explained.
City Engineer Rosewater called upon Ia
>t Bach to define the charter requirements r,
n garding the paving outside OF the sire,
II car rails remarked that he had discovere
M an old ordinance providing for a graduate
er scale of prices for repairs made by IN
lis city TO paving damaged by the tractio
er company. This ordinance he said. a,
mt ranged that after paving had been dow,
nd ten years nothing could be collected an
this affected practically all streets in
NJ square mile in the heart of the city n
lin explained that the charter required III
de property owners 10 pay for all paving ou
OF side the rails and street intersections.
his The ordinance MIR. Rosewater speaks {
no never was enforced" said MI. Zimmal
AN "As for the charter requirement abol
te- paving outside of the rails: that woul
TO have been amended In the last charte
: but Vice President Wattles, Of the sire.