Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-11
TIE VOTE FOR THE
FIRE APPARATUS
Matter May Now Go Over Until the
Return Of Commissioner Kugel
Next Week.
BIDS ARE NOT YET REJECTED


A tie vote OF six city commissioners
on the awarding of a contract to
the American LaFrance Fire Engine
company resulted in failure Of Com
missioner withheld to carry his
e commentator. Commissioner
kugel is out OF the city. Commits
sioners withheld and Hummel and
Mayor Dahlman supported the La
France resolution; Commissioners
Butler, Drexel and Jardine voted
'no."
Inasmueh as the bids before the
commissioners have not been re-
Jected, It is understood the matter
may be brought up again next week
when Commissioner Kugel will
have returned.
After the vote had been announced
withheld said, well, we
Just keep the horses. I'll have standard
motor apparatus or none" Later in the
proceedings he offered to support any OF
the bids which might be agreeable to the
other commissioners.
Guarantee with Bids.
The LaFrance proposition was to sell
the city eleven type 20 combination hose
and chemical cars at price OF 5000
zach. Bert Murphy of the Murphy-o' Brien
company, local LaFrance agents, told the
council he would give the city a guaran-
tee to inspect the equipment every month
and agreed that the city would not be
required to spend a cent on repairs for
five years IL LaFrance cars were pur-
chased.
The fight was on the price of the cars.
There was not an unfavorable statement
against the LaFrance cars. Chief Glenn
ents Of the Lincoln fire department APP
peared to endorse the LaFrance machines
OF which he has three now in use.
controversy developed over the bids
offered by the LaFrance company al
Toledo, o. Mayor Dahlman read tele-
gram from the mayor OF Toledo. stating
the LaFrance bid there for type 40 wal
5000. the same as the omaha bid. Com
missioner Butler read a telegram from
another official of Toledo. indicating {
lower figure than the Omaha bid. Repre-
Aentatlves OF the LaFrance company told
y the commissioners they had information
from nearly 300 cities and offered to show
that in only one instance was the bio
lower than the omaha figure and tina
instance was at Middleton. N Y, wher
an agent had Numbered and had q
stand the consequences Of his mistake II
price.
Jardine Wants Time.
Commissioner Jardlne made this state
ment: II am inclined 10 think that Chic
salter's recommendation as to the kin
% cars he wants should be supported. bv
l believe the prices are too high. thin
all of the bids are high. contend "
should take moro timo for considerable
OF prices. AS for the LaFrance machin
believe II Is the best"
Mr.. Jardine proposed that three samp
machines be used in the fire departmer
for q month as test. and then one {
more selected, but Mr.. Withheld insiste
he would ,standardize the motor eQuil
ment or have none at all.
Alleged lower bids OF Toledo were es
planned in detail by the LaFrance poopl
who said that one bid contemplated tai
ing back some oil equipment another b
included installation of old equipment {
each chassis and third bid was for ne
cars and equipment throughout.
s 'Omaha's Order IL Larger.
In connection with the statement Of n
LaFrance representatives relative 70 I'll
Omaha bid being the same as other cite
it IT, stated that with ono or two exceI
tions the 5000 bids made In other elite
we're for cpe, two or three cars, Will
the Omaha bid was for eleven cars. TIL
main contention of Commissioner Butlt
NXas that the city of Omaha should 81
a better price on account Of the size {
the proposed purchase well as I'll
proposition that the city intends TO stand
ardize It's motor fire apparatus and this
this purchase means additional equil
ment each year for several years, entail
ing an expenditure of more than tSOC o.