Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-04-14
LINCOLN DRY FOR A MONTH
Charter Changes shut OFF the Supply Of
Liquid Rsfrsshmsnts.
NEW METHODS IN BUSINESS OF STATE
Money saved in Letting supply Com
tracts and Deficiencies I'm state
Institutions Are to Be
Avoided.
EW METHODS IN BUSINESS OF STATE
lFrom a star Correspondent.l

LINCOLN. April 13.-Cspecial )-IIncoln
o. as dry as a bone and those who have
been I'm the habit OF taking appetizers are
consequently cast down and refuse to be
comforted, for 1t may be a month and Il
may be forever before the saloons are re-
opened. The mixup was brought about
when the excise board and the saloon
keepers and the Anti-SaIoon league got In
. wrangle over when the end Of the munich
pal year comes around. The city charter
was amended by the last Legislature extend
ing the year from April until May. But
the licenses expired April g. The anti
saloon people held If a license issued 1t
should be only for one month and the
$500 would have TO be paid again. The
board granted the licenses all right, but
as the league threatened TO force the pay
ment OF the second 81 so, the saloon men
failed to pay the first $3.50 and forfeited
the permission to do business. Two OF the
saloons remained open until yesterday by
reason of restraining order they secured
but late yesterday afternoon Chief Of Police
Cooper arrested them for selling him a
bottle Of beer. They applied for habeas
corpus and were turned down in the district
court and appealed to the supreme court
In the meantime they closed A prominent
order also quit dispensing liquor but It is
Understood It's supply ran out AS the at
forneys differ in the matter II seems likely
Lincoln will be dry for a month at least
New Methods in state Business.
The new Board of Public Lands and
Buildings and the new Board Of Purchase
and Supplies is revolutionizing the hnan-
cial conduct of the various state institu-
lions and has started in TO do the same
thing in the purchase of supplies for the
state institutions. AT the last letting some
u-Ft do fnr gv-t ID
from 70 cents to s. on the same item. The
board promptly accepted the lowest bid
ind in each instance notified the bidder
that unless he delivered the goods no more
bids submitted by him would be consid-
cred The bidders promptly agreed to de-
liver the goods, though in some instances
81 probably meant a loss Of money to them
II has been the custom for contractors to
bid low on those articles of which the state
will need very little and thus bring down
their total bids below the bidder who is
not onto the ropes. Many Intellectual at
tempts have been made to break up the
practice, and this last body blow dealt
by the new board is believed by the mem
beers to be sufficient to do the business
Members OF the boards have been look
Ing into the matter OF deficiencies reported
by the various institutions and allowed by
the Legislature. and every effort will be
eAAAao ny NA6 bbdAh " prevent any suCn
occurrence during the coming two years.
The deficiencies came as a decided sur
prise, inasmuch as It had been reported
hnd the financial statements filed with the
governor seemed to indicate that all the
institutions with one two exceptions
were running within their appropriations
Ehe deficiencies in state institutions. how
ever, alone amounted to $93 1861 This lie
merely an estimated deficiency, though the
legislature allowed 1t Just the same
Neither does IL contain the claims which
were fled against the state institutions and
accompanied by vouchers. The state In
stituuons mentioned below used I'D the
appropriations made by the legislature two
years ago and II became necessary to have
money to run during the time after the
claims bill was introduced until the new
appropriation became available. The de-
hciencies reported by the various state in
situations for which appropriations were
made follow