Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-03
COUNCIL BLUFFS
LIVELY TINE In COUNCIL
Mayor and Members Take Turns in Stirring
Things Up.
WATER WORKS QUESTION STARTS MIxUP
Nlstreet sweeper and sidewalk Com
tracts Furnish q Liberal share
of the Material TO Feed
the Flames.
WATER WORKS QUESTION STARTS NXU

the Flames.
The first session of the city council for the
new year, held last night, was lively one
and Mayor Macrae embraced the oppor-
tunity TO express himself in plain. unvar-
nished language on several important mu
ncipal questions. In fact, every member
Of the council got busy at some time or
other during the progress of the session.
The waterworks question. the gas question
and the railroads all came in for their share
OF discussion
When the communication from the water
works company, submitting an ordinance
for an extension Of it's franchise for another
twenty-five years, read Alderman Ma
loney moved that IL be referred to the COM
mittee of the whole and the motion carried,
although the mayor stated that he thought
it ought TO have been sent to the special
committee on municipal ownership. Mayor
Macrae, after the motion was carried, let
himself loose. He denounced the commune
cation and ordinance as fake" a "bas-
tardIy AFFAIR" II had hoped you would
have turned It down hard and cold. That 1t
is a fake is as plain the noses upon your
faces. II we don't get scared and stand pat
and the people stand pat we may get the
'waterworks in three or four years. but for
Gods sake don't give them any twenty-five
years franchise he said.
Alderman Weaver OF the special commit
tee having in charge the negotiations for
the purchase OF the waterworks by the city
said that the committee had a proposition
from the attorneys of the waterworks com
. pany which I'm his opinion was far more
liberal than the ordinance submitted. but he
eefrained from throwing any light on the
proposition.
The referring Of the communication and
ordinance to the committee of the whole In
stead of TO the special committee was due
to the fact that several of the aldermen
feel that the question Is one which should
properly be handled by the entire body and
not by committee which refused to take
the other members Of the council into its
confidence.
n Mayor After Gas Company.
< Following the discussion on the water
works question Mayor Macrae proceeded to
handle the gas company without gloves.
Sitting his own individual case, he declared
that the gas company was charging Its
patrons double for the gas they consumed.
several complaints of the manner in which
the bills have recently increased, he said,
had. been made to him. He said he had
made a test himself by burning lamps in
his Residence for two weeks or more. but
the gns bill for the month was even bigger
than that Of the month previous. He said
he belieNediit the duty of the city council to
lUpk into the matter and at his suggestion
\ special committee, consisting of Aldermen
MsEJney, Gilbert and Younkerman. was APP
poiutcd
n dci man FINLEY was primed with a large
lntch OF recommendations which he sub
pltcd. Several referred to the regulation
speed of trains through the city and were
teferretls tor the special committee In charge
af, snch matters. Another called for the
Placing OF gates at the following railroad
crossings;
BurlIngton--Maln. Sixth and Seventh
4. Great western-Main street. Tostevin
street and Woodbury. avenue.
Illinois Central - Broadway, avenue be-
tween twelfth and Thirteenth streets.
North observation-disclosures and Eleventh
greet.
Rock Island-Sixth street and Seventh
street.
Milwa ukep-Sixth ana Seventh streets
~rhc recommendation offered by Alderman
FINLEY that the city enter at once into a
contract for the leasing of an auto street
sweeper was turned down hard and cold
Mayor Macrae stated that he wished the
newspapers to announce In big headlines
lIihl 'ht ONiS VPpOSNN ~ " 7NiNN'
k,sweeper.
~ Hits City Engineer.
An amendment to the ordinance provid
ing for the salaries OF the city ofiicials
and designating their duties was intro
diced and passed to its second reading
The amendment provides that the time ri
the city engineer and his assistants shat
he devoted entirely and exclusively e
= the work OF the city ana that neither
! the city engineer nor any OF his employees
x shall be permitted to take or perform worl
Cor any individual, firm or corporation
y This amendment. its was stated, resulted
from numerous complaints that city En
sineer Etnyre devoted much of his tim
70 performing work for private parties an'
that he used the men employed by the cit!
in hts once In doing the same.
Alderman Crippen stirred up somewha
u tempest when he moved that all con
tracts for sidewalks which haA expire,
be cancelled. In support of his motion n
stated that contracts Tor about five mile
OF walks had been let In the Sixth war
and that up to date not foot had bee
laid, despite the repeated promises OF Con
tractors Wckham and skinkle that tn
work would be done. 1t brought Alderma
Weaver to his feet with protest at takin
such action behind the backs OF the con
tractors named and before they could b
given chance to explain the cause OF tn
ieiay, etc. lie declared that II the side
walk contracts were TO be cancelled
would be only fair TO cancel all contract
for paving. curbing and sewerlnE Mayo
Macrae then took hand in the fight an
the alderman from the Fourth ward hear
few remarks from the head OF the mt
nicipal administration that were far froI
complimentary, but which were delivere
straight from the shoulder. When III
mayor regained his seat Alderman Weave
withdrew his amendment, but Alderma
Crippen's motion failed to carry
The council, as requested by the Board {
County Supervisors, adopted a resolutio
scauieseing in the action of the supervii
ors in employing the legal firm Of Harl
FINLEY to assist the county attorney In n
Portland Gold Mining company tax lit
CATION.
At the suggestion OF City Solicit,