Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-10
AFFAIRS At SOUTH OMAHA
Old City Council Winds Up Its Business
and New One Sworn In.
MAYOR HOcTOR DELIVERS HIS MESSAGE
Declares Against VotinE streets to
Corporations Unless Property Con-
Vsved lie Paid for and De
clares for Economy.

| people gathered IN the council chamber
to witness the proceedings Of the outgoing
council and the inauguration or the new
regime. The old council took up the regular
order Of business, 1t was moved that
the claims OF James A. witcher for in
juries received from a street car at Thirty
ninth and Q be not allowed. He entered
a claim for $1,000 The same action was
taken on the claim OF Fred Evans for
injuries sustained in a washout at Twenty
| second and X streets. Frank NJ. Johnson
was not allowed damages for injuries re-
ceived at Twenty-fourth and n streets.
! A communication from a board OF ap-
praisers appointed for the condemnation Of
property for the extension of street
| through tax lot is to the west line of
! Thirteenth street was read and placed on
record
warrant was ordered for $50 in favor
| of Abraham Zlotky for "a load of rabbits
which had been condemned by j. d. Jones'
acting in his capacity as meat Inspector
The final report Of w. c, Lambert as
| city attorney was submitted, from which
/ It appears that several minor claims were
settled at cost to the city of $40; that
! two cases were tried which cost the city
| $7,5SS.7O. In his judgment the cases should
be appealed to the supreme court, by which
the cost to the city could be reduced to
81, 1880 for the entire two years. These
are the Gillispie and the Burke cases, tried
within the last two months. The city has
collected from the gas company on a iudg-
ment $21522O which offsets the expense
of the judgments against the city and
leaves a balance in favor of the city for
the term Of his Office of 1856.
The claim of II. NJ. Christie for $50 paid
for Mrs. Mary Todd to prevent the prop
erty of the latter from being sold under
| the scavenger laws was allowed.
Estimates for Grading.
The city engineer submitted an estimate
! for the grading of o street from Twentieth
to Twenty-second. The cost will be $l4,t50.
| An ordinance was introduced for the extern
sion of N street. Another provided for the
creation of a new, Improvement district ON
North Twenty-third street, under which
the curbing and guttering could be carried
out An ordinance granting to Thomas
Geary the right to lay pipes in the city
streets for the purpose of carrying min
/ eral water was given it's second read
ing.
The resignation Of ]. w. Koutsky as city
physician was received and accepted. Per-
mission was granted to Contractors Parks,
johnson & Parks 20 pile paving block on
the west side of Twenty-fourth provided
the crossings and openings OF the street
| were not obstructed.
The committee on fire and water was in
structed to act with the Board of Fire and
Police Commissioners to solicit the pack
ers and the Union stock yards for the
means of purchasing new fire engine. Tho
motion was introduced by Frank Dworak.
General salary bills were allowed up to
| q II
Mayor HoctOr's Message.
l. On motion .hysssfS. p. Adkins the. eoun-
Gil proceeded to canvass the returns of
tile last election aud when this was done
the certificates OF election were presented
to each of the newly-elected officers. The
outgoing mayor administered the oath of
office to the present mayor and he to the
rest of the city officials. When this was
done the old council adjourned sine die and
Mayor Hector called the new council to
! order. He then proceeded to deliver his
! first message to the council On the con-
| clusion OF this formality the assembled
crowd gave vent to loud expressions Of
! their approval The new council ordered
/ that the mayors message be placed on
record and then adjourned to meet this
afternoon at 3 p. m for the purpose OF
perfecting its organization.
! The message of Thomas Hector to the
city council pledges his administration to
the strictest economy. He said in part:
'"The selection of the present council as
well as the mayor and the other officials Of
the city was not in any strict sense the
result of party alignment, but on the con-
trary 1t was an expression of confidence
by the people that the officials whom they
elected would give them an improvement in
the administration of municipal affairs"
Speaking of puhiic property such as
streets, etc, he declared
"The city government has no more right
TO give away such property to dispose
of It for less than its fair value than would
/ the officers of a private corporation have
to give away property intrusted to their
care. The city government is not charit-
able or eleemosynary institution
Each public service corporation doing
business in this city has a practical mon
opoly of it's particular line of business
II is the duty of the city government, go
far as II has the legal right, to protect
both the city itself and its inhabitants
against any business abuse.
Contracts give the corporations vest4d
rights, those rights ought TO be respected.
1t is the duty Of the city government 10
| exercise that power stipulated I'm the pub
lie service contracts) with fairness and
| with Justice and TO protect the people Of
the city from unreasonable demands and
| exactions. The water rates for water
charges in the city of South Omaha shall
not be higher than the rates at which water
is furnised in the city of Omaha.
1T Is much better to spend money in the
care and maintenance of the streets and
sidewalks and thereby preventing damage
suits than TO pay It out at the end Of
| litigation In the satisfaction of such claims.
II shall be my purpose to appoint a COM
petent street commissioner Ca new officel
All appointive ohices should be filled with
a view solely to the public good I invite
your scrutiny of all appointments pro-
posed. The public good will be best served
by proceeding In all matters with due de-
liberation and I'm open session, that no OPP
portunitI may arise to charge the city
council with hasty, secret or clandestine
action.
1T is In the interest OF economy that the
annual tax levy be kept as low as prac-
ticable, but it is poor economy TO make a
levy INSUFFICIENT to discharge the fixed and
inevitable obligations OF the city and
thereby create an overlap. upon which We
would be compelled to pay interest in the
future"
street Car Cuts on Mans Arm.
| Ieonard l. E,gele an emplOve Of the