Omaha daily bee., 1911-11-15
AFFAIRS AT SOUTH OMAHA
City Council Decides to Retrench in
Municipal Departments.
CALLS FOR LISTS OF EMPLOYEES
Proposition to Come Up Just BEFORE
ThRnkSgiving ana Reduction
May he Made Before
That Day.

City employees generally found grue-
some significance IN the careless way In
which the city council handled the word
retrenchment last night. Every member
Of the august body nad evidently had his
ear to the ground for the sound OF pop
ular will aud every listener seemed 10
have heard the ssme word, Ts;rcuch."
The resolution Introduced by Council
man George Hoffman asked tnat all the
heads OF the city department, including
the mayor, treasurer. aity clerk. city
engineer, and cEicfs OF thu IRE and 30
lice departments, on Monday. November
20, shall hand in q list OF thcir employees
with a view of eliminating from The city
pay roll those deemed unaeccasary by
the council.
All the council were in favor Of the
policy Of retrenchment, though the three
republicans, Lille., Tom Jefferson and
Riha, insisted that NJ cction saol.l bl
taken on the matter until Mayor Tvaluor
who is ill, had returned to the cnac
The mayor has always beyn in tavor Of
such u measure said E!ha. "anl it IS
only fair that lie should be asgs 10 LEAD
the movement"
Miller and Peterson both deprecatea
any action ON the matter while The nayo'
was confined to his bed b. Illness Tn,
majority, however, seemed to see an cp
portunity OF making q democratic grand
stand and the measure was passed a
once without deferrlng it until nex
Monday when the mayor shall have re
turned to his desk
The quick action OF the council i'm
mediately following the annexation fish
and the threat of intervention on The par
of the nebulous organization called tn
Citizens league bespeaks the serious dis
satisfaction that is felt against the pres
ent administration throughout the city
Coad Gets Bonds.
While voting retrenchment, however
the council allowed paving estimates to
the total amount of S43, 7S4.50 and awarded
, proposed issue of 1912 bonds to +. J.
Coad Of the Packers National bank, al
5h per cent, specifying exactly the
amount of the bond issue. The resolu.
ton awarding the bonds to Coad denom-
mated him as the highest and best bid
der. August Miller took exception tc
the action of the council because he said
the bonds had not been advertised and
therefore the bidder was not the highest
nor the best.
Two, contracts of paving material were
designated as Sarco and three as Puring
ton brick block.
EArlier in the meeting 1t appeared that
the petitions OF the Moberly Brick Block
and the Parks &. Letter Paving company
were insufficient according to the rec
concentrations of the city engineer and
city attorney. Later the National Con-
struction company garnered in the con-
tracts on Sarco and Purlngton brick
block The following streets will be
paved with the respective materials des'
ignated by the councl X street from
Twenty-second to Twenty-flfth, Puring-
ton brick block; Seventeenth street from
Missouri avenue to n street. Puringtor
brick block; Twenty-seventh street from
Q to Y streets. sarco; street from
Twenty second TO Twenty-third, Saroo.
Would Check Improvements.
Hoffman throughout the meeting de
clared his unwill.ngness to expend any
money for paving or anything else tha
might be nlsconstrued by the people al
axtrayRgance. 81 would be in favor o.