Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-12
COUNCILMEN ON A JUNKET
Going to Take q Look at Some Munic.
ipal Water Plants.
EXPERT ENGINEERS COME HIGH
when Effort IL Made to Secure One
to Assist city Engineer Council
men Discover They Are
Expensive.

City Engineer Etnyre and Councilman
]. Chris Jensen. chairman OF the water
works committee are going to take a
junketing trip to Missouri to be shown.
They will visit st. Louis. Kansas City and
st. Joseph for the purpose of inspecting
the water plants Of those cities. ~particu-
larry in reference to machinery with a
view Of obtaining some ideas along this
line as TO the needs OF Council Bluffs.
Believing that such a trip would help
solve the local problem, It was suggested
and decided upon at an executive" ses-
sion of the city council Monday night held
behind closed doors IN the mayors office
in the city hall following the regular coun-
Gil meeting.
Mayor Thomas Msloney will go along
but not, as he explained yesterday, as "A
waterworks machinery expert, but be-
cause the city council requested him II
am not an expert on water works
machinery" said Mayor Maloney, but !
guess I can be shown I suppose the other
members of the council wanted me tc go
along so as to see to 1t that st. Louis.
Kansas City or st. Joe did not kidnap
the city engineer or Mr.. Jensen.
The water works committee has dis
covered that the service of expert by.
draulic engineers come high and at the
executive session Monday night 1t was
decided that the city would have to get
along as best it could without one. The
plans for the proposed municipal water
works will be revised by City Engineer
Etnyre without the assistance of an ex-
pert. although it was stated that possibly
when Mr.. Etnyre had completed the plans,
an expert may be called In for a day or
two to look them over.
Expert Engineers Come High.
1T is our intention to let Mr.. lGtnyre
undertake the work alone, calling for aid
only where he finds that expert advice is
necessary to clear up some knotty problem.
We certainly do not intend to employ an
expert engineer to help MI. Etnyre with
the plans at the prices they demand" de-
clared Councilman Mcmillan, member OF
the water works committee.
Inquiry by the city engineer and Chair
man Jensen OF the water works committed
elected the information that expert hydrau-
lie engineers demanded 800 and upward a
day for their services or else a fee equal
to 5 per cent of the cost of the construction
of the proposed plant.
The white-winged love of peace was con
spicuous at the executive session Monday
night by It's absence. At times the meeting
1t is said. was anything but harmonious
Councilman Bellinger insisted that the pro.
posed municipal water plant provide fol
eight and one-half miles of mains in the
Sixth ward, which he represents. and also
eighty-six fire hydrants.
Nothing of this kind was ever promised,
declared several of the councilmen.
"Oh, it wasn't, wasn't it?" replied Coun-
Gilman Bellinger, as from an inner pocket
he produced one Of the circulars issued by
the advocates of the water bond issue at
the recent special election, which were cir
culated in the Sixth ward. IF you fellows
don't fulfill the promises you made to the
people in my ward at the election. no plan
providing for anything else will receive my
support. And let me tell you, nothing else
will satisfy the people of the west end"
The trip to Missouri, Mayor Maloney said
yesterday, would likely be taken next Tues
day. 1t is likely that some of the municipal
plants in this state will also be inspected
by Mayor Maloney and the other experts.