The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-07-27
A STRANGE SITUATION
FOR YEARS OMAHA TRIED TO
PURCHASE WATERWoRks.
CITY IS NOW TRYING NOT TO
The city Voted $s,ooo.ooo Worth Of
Bonds But the Appraisement Was
More Than Doube-case Now In
Court With Expensive Prospect,


More Than Doube--case Now In
cour, With Expensive Prospect
Omaha. Ncb., July 2t-For the past
three years the city of Omaha has been
trying to purchase the plant OF the
Omaha Water company and give Oma-
ha a municipal water system, Today
the city is fighting in United states
court. the acquisition Of the system
and is doing every thing It can to pre-
vent being forced into purchasing the
water plant.
Three years ago the state leglsla-I
turc passed bill ordering Omaha to
either purchase the present water sys-
tenn from It's owners or To construct
new system. And to further this
end. the city voted s3,000,000 worth
of bonds, the proceeds to be utilized In
building this plant.
Then, by order Of the legislature, the
governor OF Nebraska appointed wa
ter board, which should have full
charge of the affairs OF the municipal
plant. Omaha business men objected
to the appointing of members OF this
board, preferring to have "sayso" in
the governing power OF their own
waterworks by having the commission
ers elected by popular vote, but their
protests did no good.
The water board took charge of the
affairs at once. And incidentally be-
gun drawing salary Immediately. This
salary was fixed at only $500 per year.
and there are six of the commissioners,
making the salary for the board $4,000
yearly, This board has now been in
existence three years, drawing sal
aries all that time, but having no wa
ter works to manage during those
years.
The water company and the commits
sioners decided to appoint n commit.
tee of prominent engineers who were
to appraise the water system and the
city was then to purchase at this price
Everything seemed all right and the
advocates of municipal ownership
pointed to the seeming success Of the
commissioners as an indication Of the
beauties of the system.
But there was snag somewhere.
Something seemed to be wrong with
the board Of engineers. They never
could get together to talk the matter
over. One of them lived in Mllwau-
kee; the other two in different cities.
Whenever they did get together, there
were no results. Nothing but talk re-
suited The engineers were being
paid well-and the tax payers of Oma-
ha footed the bills.
Then it became necessary to employ
lawyers at good fat fees to look after
the city's interests in the matter. The
Omaha Bee, the leading republican
newspaper in Nebraska, in an edito-
rial calling attention to the fact that
since May, 1905, the city has paid $12,-
75S in lawyers fees for the water
board, says: "This, after all, is only
before taking" the water works. How
much the special attorneys of the wa.
ter board will extract by the time they
are through all the cases in the Unit.
ed States supreme court may only be
surmised."
For three years the board OF engi.
neers delayed and talked" and all
that time the municipal ownership ad.
vocates fretted. But yesterday the
engineers announced their valuation
on the plant of the water company
$6,26S,295.49.
The citizens fairly gasped with as
constituent. 1t was believed the fig.
ures would not be above $4,000, 900.
And a cry Of fraud" was raised on
all sides. 1t was pointed out that the
appraised value was signed by only
two members OF the board Of engineers
and that the third refused to concur
hence, they argued, there was no ap
praisal. Prominent attorneys talked
'bunco" by the engineers as against
the city. They all declared the ap
praised value was exorbitant and
should not be paid
Then T. C. Woodbury. OF New Yorl
City, president of the Omaha Waite,
company, made out deed GOVERNS
the entire property Of the water system
and going to the board OF water com
missioners, made a formal tender O
295.49. 1t was refused and he imme
diately filed suit in United State
court to compel the city to purchas,
at that price.
The water board has announced 1t
intentions of fighting the case an,
more special attorney fees are II
sight for the tax payers to settle.
10. 40
Omaha has been fighting for thre
years 10 municipalize its water sys
TEN, it is now fighting just as har
the other way to keep from having t
purchase it, And tax payers, who hav
seen so much money so towards sals
ries and attorneys fees, with nothin
to show for it, wonder what the biI
will ha ~ tho pitv ic forna1 20 h,x, .I