Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-06
THE WATER DGsTRIcT scgsME.

nm W n IN DloA hAiA hNhEMEs
The proposed creation at this time
of a water district comprising terri
tory including Omaha. South Omaha,
East Omaha, Florence, Dundee and
Benson for the purpose of acquiring a
water works plant and supplying water
to the inhabitants of the whole area
must strike most people as a scheme
to add new complications to the al
ready mountain-high litigation which
has been piled up by the proceedings
for compulsory purchase Of the water
works for Omaha. II the water plant
were once acquired as a public need
undertaking the creation of a water
district would unquestionably AFFORD
the most practical means for admins
tration and operation. This was sug-
gested by The Bee at the time the
original compulsory purchase bill was
pending, when 1t pointed out the OBJ
stacies In the, way of Omaha buying a
water works system that was at the
same time supplying water to several
other separately incorporated cities
and villages.
1t seems plain, however, the litiga-
ton. over the water works purchase
has reached a point where further
complication by changing legislation
would be hazardous TO the public in
terests. Our water works plant was
constructed under contract with the
city of Omaha and the city has elected
to buy the property according to the
terms of the purchase clause. The
chief point of difference between the
city and the water company is the
price, One appraisement has been
made which the water company is will
ing to accept, but which the city, hav-
Ing rejected II as fraudulent and ex-
orbitant, is asking the court to set
aside with an order for a new APP
praisement. Unless a compromise is
reached entirely independently, this
litigation must go on until an appraise-
ment is secured which satisfies both
parties, or which, at any rate, the
courts will refuse to annul. A new
water district, therefore, would have
no rights in this litigation and could
not buy the existing works except by
waiting till the city secured title to
them and then taking them over from
the city.
The purpose of those who now pro-
pose water district is presumably to
force abandonment of all negotiations
for purchase and to build a new water
system for the combined use of all the
cities and villages within the water
district boundaries. The absurd out
come of such a step would be, if it ever
materialized, that the people would
become the owners of one water works
in the name of the water district and
of a second in the name of the city of
Omaha. A new water system built
and operated by a water district ire
spective of the existing plant would
also run up against another difficulty
In the contracts which several of these
cities have entered for water hydrants
and fire protection from the Omaha
Water company. The contract in
South Omaha. for example, is said to
run for nine or ten years yet, and con-
tracts for longer or shorter periods
have been likewise made by Florence
and Dundee.
The lawyers who have been retained
at fat fees on both sides of the water
works CONTROVERSY are to be expected
to propose all sorts of schemes that
would make It necessary to continue
their services indefinitely. The people
of Omaha and vicinity, however, must
pay all the bills and in the interval are
suffering from the paralysis that pre-
vents needed expansions and improve
ments of the water plant to meet grow
ing demands. What they would most
prefer is to have the question settled
quickly either by a compromised pur-
chase price or by a new contract Civ
ing reduced hydrant rentals and lower
rates to private consumers.