Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-05
Council Bluffs
City Council Talks
Of Lighting Matters
Long Session Devoted Almost Entirely
TO New Rates and Matter Put
Over Until Saturday.

Nearly the entire session Of the city
council last night was devoted to the dis
cussion of the five-year lighting contract
made with the Citizens Gas and Electric
Light company and President Nash OF the
Omaha company which was ordered to be
made at the meeting Of the council last
week called especially for the purpose
The contract drawn by City Solicitor Kim
ball was presented and read and after con-
siderable discussion by the members was
about to be passed when Robert B. Wal
lace, representing the Commercial club.
asked to have the matter delayed for one
week for the purpose of permitting the
club and citizens interested further eppor-
tunity to consider II. This brought on a
warm discussion, started by Alderman
Younkerman when he reminded the mem
bers of the Commercial club present that
the club had consumed three months and
had only succeeded In tying up and de-
laying the lighting matter and inadver-
tently delaying the Broadway repave-
ment. He said the club was unable to
determine what kind of lighting system
1t wanted at any Of the time and that its
final report left the matter where II stood
at the beginning.
The members Of the council manifested
some inclination to grant the delay of a
week when Contractor Wickham inter-
posed an objection. declaring that it would
compel him to pull off his paving gangs at
time when he had $1,000 paving brick on
trackage ready for unloading. He said It
would mean a loss OF 500 a day and he
would expect compensation, that his con-
tract with the lighting company required
him to begin laying the conduits for un-
dergrounding the electric wires to supply
the gooseneck pedestals that were to carry
the new flaming arc lamps and the ma
terisl for the conduit would be here on
Wednesday. The council finally agreed to
postpone completing the contract until
Thursday morning when special meet
ing will be held beginning at $50 o'clock.
The contract presented was a duplicate
of that made with the lighting company
five Years ago with the exception that 1t
provided for the installation Of the flaming
arcs and carried a reduction upon the
prices Of gas and electric current to con-
form to the rates now prevailing in Omaha,
s1.15 for gas and IA cents and cents per
kilowat for current. Emmett FINLEY
was present and helped to enlighten
the members OF the Commercial club and
others who objected to the approval of
| the contract under the impression that the
rates given for gas were not the same as
| prevailed in Omaha. This was the inn
preston of W. A. Maurer, who understood
that the fiat domestic rate in Omaha was
81 per 1000 feet. Mayor Maloney corrected
this by saying that the 81 rate applied to
the street lighting and carried the obliga
ton Of the city to take over the property.
posts, lamps, etc, required for the
service, and that a resolution in the coun-
ell calling for a general reduction to 81
had been stopped by injunction. The dis
cussion also developed the fact that Mr..
Maurer at least was opposed to new giant
arc lights and preferred the single incan-
descent lamps on gooseneck pedestals.
| The question of the amount Of the Broad
way paving to be charged to each property
owner was brought up by. Alderman
Younkerman. who proposed a resolution
fixing the limit at twenty feet, the balance
to be paid by the city where not covered
! by the amount required by law to be paid
for by the street car company. The city
solicitor was instructed to prepare a reso-
luton In accordance with the suggestion to
be reported at the next meeting