Omaha daily bee., 1911-07-08
Council Bluffs
LONG SESSION OYER GAS
President Nash Tells City Council
What Company Will Do.
KIMBALL CHANGES THE CONTRACT
Omission Made 20 Provide that City
shall Get Benefit of All Reduce
lions Made I'm Lighting
in Omaha.

After a continuous session. lasting from
$50 until 1880 yesterday, during which the
city council heard the complaints and rec
concentrations OF the Commercial club, the
closing of the street lighting contract with
the Citizens Gas and Electric Lighting
company and President Nash of the
Omaha Light and Power company was
not accomplished but was deferred for
final action until $3.50 this morning
The failure TO approve the contract was
due to the discovery at the last moment
that the new set of copies which had
been drawn by City solicitor Kimball
omitted the clause fixing the rates for
electric current at IA cents per kilowatt
for the first three kilowatts and cents
for additional kilowatts, or the rate that
is now prevailing In Omaha Neither
President Nash nor Attorney Emmett Tin
ley, counsel for the company, both Of
whom were present was aware OF the
omission, and insisted that the clause was
there until careful perusal OF the copy
disclosed its absence. Mr. Kimbal was
not present. but II was intimated that the
change was made by the city solicitor for
the purpose of securing for Council Bluffs
the advantage of any reduction that might
be made In the future, which the adroitly
made change provided for. All OF the
members Of the council also appeared to
be in ignorance of the change. Mr.. KIM
ball was out of town all day yesterday
and could not be questioned. but one Of
his near friends explained that the change
was purposely made, and that IL the con-
tract was approved without 1t being de-
tected ali right. but II detected II was
expected Mr.. Nash would go up in the
air."
Nash Accepts Change.
Mr.. Nash insisted that the original pro-
vision should be Incorporated and that the
provision Mr.. Kimball had slipped in
should be included and be moro explicitly
stated. He directed Attorney FINLEY to
enlarge this section and dictated it's Ian
guage. When completed II fixed the max
imum rate to be charged at the figures
stated and that "all reductions made in
| Omaha during the life of this contract
| shall prevail in Council Bluffs" and that
| the rates to be charged in Council Bluffs
shall at all times be the same as charged
| in Omaha"
In the absence Of Mayor Maloney, who
| is in Kansas City with the members of the
Water board. Alderman Younkerman pre-
sided, and insisted that further considera-
ton of the contract should cease until new
and complete copies could be made.
The objections OF the Commercial clubs
representatives were not very clear or ex-
plcitly made. w. A. Maurer said that the
| whole opposition to the lighting contract
| was against the use of the new flaming
arc lights and that he had not seen any
| city where they were used. Electrical ex-
| perts were present, ready TO show that the
| new lamps were the latest development OF
electrical science and were just being put
forward by the General Electric company
| with positive guarantees of efficiency and
| were as distinct advance over present
methods Of street lighting as the first arr
lights were over the old street gas lamps
The experts, however. were not called
| upon. Mr. Maurer said the only light he
wanted on the streets were the single in.
candescents on gooseneck posts. which the
citizens should provide at cost of about
$4,000, and the city furnish the current al
cost aggregating several times NOR,
than the giant arcs will cost the tax
payers.