Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-06-30
NO AGREEMENT ON LIGHTS
Council in Committee Of the Whole Dis
cusses the Proposed Contract.
snTH wGROtRs WANT TO USE IT AS CLUB
Urge Holding Up Of Contract Until Gas
Company WuI Agree 60 Extend
Its Mains Into that
ward.


While we are holding this contract over
the company we might as well use it to
some effect and force It to agree to ex-
tend its mains TO the western part ofsthe
city az demanded by the pople Of the
Sixth ward stated Councilman Wallace
at the meeting Of the committee of the
whole of the city council last night In
discussing the proposed lighting contract
with the Citizens Gas and Electric COM
pany The injection OF the price OF gas
and the extension OF the companys mains
/ into different parts OF the city into the
| lighting contract between the city and the
company resulted In leaving the proposed
contract in the air. SO to speak
Several Of the councllmen during the
discussion showed they considered II
favorable time to force the company to
| consent to the demands for extensions Of
its mains before they would vote in favor
OF the contract for the electric lighting Of
| the city.
The sixth ward was represented by A.
c. Keller. president OF the West Council
BIuns Improvement club, and former
! Councilman William c. Boyer. who both
urged the council not to approve the con-
| tract for the electric lighting until the
! company positively agreed to extend its
mains and furnish gas to the residents
! OF that section of the city. The Citizens
Gas and Electric company was not repre-
scented at the meeting. The meeting had
been called for the afternoon. but there was
not a quorum present and the meeting at
first was postponed until Monday night.
but later in the afternoon was changed
to last night President Nash Of the light
ing company was present in the afternoon,
and as far as Is known he was unaware
| hot he Of he cd meeting
had been changed to the evening.
Contract Not Binding.
City Solicitor I6imbRll explained that the
city council, in its contract for the electric
lighting could not Ak the price of gas to
private consumers or force the company to
extend its mains. The clause in the lighting
contract, in which the lighting company
agreed to acquiesce to a Sl.6 rate for gas,
he explained was not a contract between
the city and the company and in no manner
bound the city The city council, he said,
had the right to fix by ordinance the price
of gas, providing the price so fixed was
held reasonable and Just by the courts.
Some OF the councilmen were in favor OF
eliminating from the contract all mention OF
the gas rate and passing ordinance at a
future date fixing It, Others, however. in
sisted that the present was favorable time
70 bring the company to terms by holding
the lighting contract over its head as q
Club
Mr. Boyer in his talk to the committee,
stated there was not a single foot of gas
main in the Sixth ward. although that nor-
ton OF the city was bnilding up more rap
idly than any other UNLESS you bind the
company to give us gas we will not get 1t
, for the next FIVE years. or during the life of
this proposed new contract" he said.
Regarding the Improvement OF the space
: between the new paving on Broadway, be-
y tween Thirteenth and Twentieth streets. the
! committee decidd to recommend to the city
council that the material there at present
be taken out and that the space be hlled
! with crushed rock two inches deep at the
sides and three inches deep in the center
and that the city clerk be instructed to ad'
{ vertise for bids for the work after the city
engineer has prepared plans and specifca'
! tons
e The request OF the Commercial club thai
, the city council take some steps to have
street signs placed at the street intersec
5 lions was discussed and finally referred Il
, City Clerk sapp. who said he might b.
/. able to solve the question for the city
= council. although he did not explain n
c what way Councilman Maloney was o.
j the opinion that the street signs would
a entail an expenditure Of 5000 and he dtt
E not see where the money was coming from
i Councilman Knudsen went him one bette
: by asserting that they would cost at leas
a 5000 as the signs would have to be place,
o on iron poles at the street intersections.