Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-04
MAYOR AND PEOPLE TALK Gas
Dahlmsn, with oounCilmsn, Attends Meet
ing at Seventeenth and Center.
PROMISES ACTION ON ORDINANCE MONDAY
CitlEens and Some of Councilman
Construe His Remarks to Mean
that Brucker Measure
VIII he vetoed.

| Public interest in a gas tank ordinance
now before the mayor found expression
| yesterday afternoon at a mass meeting of
citizens living in the vicinity of Twentieth
| and Center streets, where II is proposed
to erect a third gas tank The meeting
was held in a parochial school house, Sew
enteenth and Center streets, and was
largely attended. Mayor Dahlman and
Councilmen zimman, Bridges and Funk
| houser were present and addressed the
| meeting. The purpose of requesting the
! presence of the mayor was TO present rea-
sons why the ordinance should be vetoed
and the gas tank headed of, but the mayor
made few remarks in which he said he
would decide on the matter Monday morn
ing.
IF the contentious of the south side
property owners are equal to those of the
| gas company, will veto the ordinance so
quickly it will make their heads SWIM"
the mayor said. Continuing he remarked:
| 1T is my duty to hear both sides of this
question and decide according to my best
| judgment. This matter is now up to me
| and 1 have given 1t much thought The
gas company has a right to ask for the
| privilege to build another tank on its own
property at Twentieth and Center streets,
and the citizens have an equal right to
protest against its erection. In my official
capacity 1 do not say in advance what 1
will do In a matter OF this kind. My
natural sympathies are with the people,"
Believe Mayor VIII Veto.
The general feeling in the hall was that
| the mayor would veto the ordinance Such
was the sentiment expressed by other
speakers.
Councilman Zimman went into the gas
question in Its various phases, touching on
municipal regulation of the plant as against
municipal ownership. He thought the plan
that should be pursued would be for the
city to condemn and acquire the plant and
then lease It, as is done in other cities.
He said he could show from authentic
figures that by acquiring the plant the city,
| by becoming partner in its operation,
could earn at least $4,000 a year.
my contention is that there is a clause
in the gas franchise ordinance whereby the
| city may acquire the plant and not be
compelled to pay anything for the unex-
/ pired portion of the franchise" Mr.. Zim-
man declared.
Referring to the Brucker ordinance now
before the mayor, Mr.. Zimman said the
defeat of that measure would not alto
| gether end the present fight. He thought
the council should pass an ordinance sim
| liar in effect to the one recently offered
by Mr.. Bridges, which was defeated after a
hard fight. He said he construed the
mayors remarks yesterday afternoon as
| something of an earnest that the Brucker
| ordinance would be vetoed.
| Councilmen Bridges and Funkhouser
| Street Commissioner Flynn, DR.. A. f.
Burkard, Dr. Elias Holovtchiner and others
made short talks. J. e. Kingsbury pre-
sided and Sebastian Selzle was secretary
| of the meeting, which was held under the
auspices of the New Southwest Improve
ment club.
Status of Tank situation.
The Brucker gas tank ordinance now be-
fore the mayor prohibits the gas company
from erecting any gas tanks in the city.
except along the river on the east or within
a territory bounded by Nineteenth, Twenty
second, Center street and the Burlington
tracks. which is virtually giving the gas
company what it has been contending for,
namely. permission to add third tank
to it's plant at Twentieth and Center
streets.
This ordinance was passed by the coun-
Gil last Tuesday evening by a vote of to 5,
Councilmen Bridges, Elsasser. Funkhouser.
Zimman and Hansen being against 1t. If
the mayor should veto the ordinance 1t will
require eight votes of the council to over
ride that veto and make the ordinance a
law.
The majority of the council believe that
public interests would be conserved by
the passage of the ordinance, in that
the Omaha Gas company is now running
on close margin of reserve capacity, and
that inasmuch as the company already has
two tanks at Twentieth and Center streets
a third tank would not make much diff
d ference to the citizens in that locality.