Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-02

lutions and other documents called for by
the city council. Among the ordinances
prepared were ninety-eight levy ordinances
embracing 1858 5S4 for special taxes; thirty
seven street Improvement district ordi-
nances; and thirty-three ordinances for
changes of grades called for by petition Of
property owners. Investigations were made
and permits issued for 1.6l4 sidewalks; 49,
| sewer connections, 800 water pipe con-
nectlons, SS7 gas connections 1873 cuts for
Electric Light and Power company, and
twenty-five permits for the laying of tracks
by railroad companies as well as twenty
three permits for miscellaneous purposes
There was paid into the city treasurer on
account of services in the supervision and
and plumbers cuts, $3,SO. This amount
has, as you are aware, been placed into tho
general fund and has not been credited to
the engineering department
The sewer maintaining department of the
Reyair Slant at Tweftb and N,coIas A stTpsets
| telephone Douglas 1874, where a Waterman
| is kept day and night to receive COM
any time. and the department employees
are subject to call at night or at any other
time. the same as firemen, to relieve prop
erty that might be affected by improper
construction of house sewers, by the breaks
| incidental to washouts, or by stoppages in
the sewer due to their improper use or
wilful abuse. In addition 20 maintaining
the sewers Of the city in clearly condi-
ton as we'll as keeping them In good repair
the department Is constantly called upon to
replace old inlets with new ones necessary
| Incident TO changes in pavement or TO other
improvements by numerous corporations
| The appropriation for each Of the past
few years in this branch OF the service. like
| that for other branches has been reduced
upon the unaccountable theory that the
greater area of pavements to be taken care
of and the more miles OF sewers to be
looked after, the less 1t will cost TO do so.
| This recalls plan proposed some years
] ago to consolidate Douglas county with
South Omaha and Omaha, thereby saving
| 800 900 in salaries alone, when In fact the
salaries Of all these three governments at
| the time did not exceed $4,000. The pro-
posal was so promising that upon the same
| other such consultations to run the cities
OF the state under one government without
cost; in other words abolish tax paying al
Laboratory and Repair Plant.
Accompanying this will be found very
interesting and able report prepared by
| Lester Kirschbraun, the chemical expert
plant. This branch OF the service has
| earned more than ten times what II has
cost since its organization. An ATTEMPT
was made over ten years ago to establish
such a bureau under the engineering de-
partment, but failed because of opposition
| OF contracting interests. The department
not only analyses. by chemical examination,
the mixtures for asphalt pavements, but
also conducts tests of cement and other
materials entering into the construction
Of public works. Many carloads of cement
have been condemned this year because
found to cont contain too much lime or on &C. &C.
in frst-class work. think II requires no
| argument to convince any intelligent busi-
ness man that the city cannot AFFORD to
dispense with this department in the flu
ture. Like all departments calling for ex-
pert service, its employees should be Sc,
lected for their worth and kept under civil
| service regulations to prevent partisan in
iiuence from destroying their usefulness
you that it viii require an expenditure OF
from 5000 to 1900 TO make additions and
repairs to the asphalt plant early this
the same. Whilst the appropriation for
paving repairs has been made smaller for
the, year 1907 than for previous years. Il
viii still be economy to expend the neces-
sary money from the amount available for
repairs needed In order to conduct the
work properly. The total investment
up to date in the plant. as will be seen
by referring to detail figures, inclusive OF
interest and allowance for annual deprecia'
work, over the cost OF repairs prior TO the
erection of said plant is upwards OF $1,000
LEAVING Id Isy9g tho 70 Ias city 6 os 1
work of 1905, owing to the disorganizatior
of the forces and reorganization of the
same at intervals. has cost about 4 cents
more per square yard than II cost the veal
with this. as with other work, to pro.
duce the best results. II is necessary tc
remove all partisan and political influences
and 10 place It upon a business basis. This
"a S mas S Ss
confirmed at frequent intervals, and names
or laborers and teamAters sent TO the coun'
ell every few weeks for confirmation, e
furnish list from which employees shall
be picked as others leave and go elsewhere
Inspection of Public Works.
The inspection of public works has beer
one of the weak features for some year,
past of our public service. II Is due C
several reasons. the main one being thai
no first-clRss expert competent TO supervise
! public work viii hire out for a few days a.
time at a per diem rate, nor can com
, petent experts of any kind be employed
: whose tenure Of service depends upon theil
adherence to political or partisan factions
The public work OF the city Is scattered
over many miles and cannot be carried OF
: at the same cost, according to the class o.
work, as can buildings, where work is con
Y / fined TO a small area.
1 | In the construction of public sewers, II Il
d very important 10 secure not only hrst-clas
: materials and proper mixture OF cemen
!, in such proportions as 10 insure adequau
strength. but also IL Is important that IN
. workmanship be first-class. To insure Thu
4 in the case a large sewers, ID Is necessary
to have one man down IN the ditch to watcl
: the workmen, who use the mortar, and an
5 otter at the mortar board 10 see that
: proper proportion OF cement Is used ant
: that the cement called for, and no other
. I 10 rlacad In the mixture. There are In