Omaha daily bee., 1916-09-26
City Council Passes Ordinance
Lowering the Maximum
G. Se Two Cents
al aoSs watt Hour.
FIFTY CENTS MONTH
Urges Passage of Street
Lighting Contract Ordinance
Filed Some Time Ago.
WANTS NO FURTHER DELAY

this morning an ordinance fixing
the maximum rate at 6 cents per kilo
watt hour for electric lighting and
power, The reduction is agreeable to
the Omaha Electric Light and Power
company, which will put the new
schedule in operation January !.
This electric light rate reduction
was exclusively forecasted in The
Sunday Bee.
This will change the general cleo
trio lighting rate from 8 cents per
kilowatt hour for the first twenty-five
hours and cents for the next Us
hours to cents for the first $50
hours, The council adopted the exist
ing blocking system below the pri-
mary rate as tentative, subject TO
change if the company can show at
any time that the rates. below the O.
cent rate are unfair. The ordinance,
however, provides that no rate shall
be in excess of cents per hour. The
present initial rate on alternating cur
rent for power has been reduced from
7 to 3 cents an hour and the initial
rate on direct current for power was
reducedfrom IL to cents per hour.
Two Vote No.
Commissioners Butler and Parks
voted against the motion to recon-
mend the ordinance for passage, be-
cause they maintain that the blocking
below the 6-cent rate should be pro-
posed by the light company and ap-
proved by the council, according to
the provisions of the Butler ordinance
which is to be placed on file.
The operation of the 6-cent lighting
rate will mean that all consumers us
ing twenty-five or more k. W. hours
per month will have reduction of so
cents, as the present initial quantity
rate for the first twenty-five hours at
8 cents will be billed at the rate of E
cents. The ordinance does not seek to
disturb the present secondary rate of
125 hours at E cents, this being
thrown into the new primary rate OF
$50 hours at g cents.
The minimum Of SO cents a month
will be maintained.
bui ihS tiiS NoiiiiiilltCC VI lDC WHOle
meeting, which was punctuated by va
rious outbreaks of cross-opinions,
Mayor Dahlman brought from the
files street lighting contract ordi-
nance which was considered earlier
in the year and finally placed on file
after much debate.
The mayor urged the committee to
NM, at,I the ,rI t.,,.,
tract ordinance for passage Tuesday
but it was deemed advisable |
TO defer action until the committee
Of the whole meeting next Monday
A ajority of the council |
favors passage of the ordinance. Full
discussion of the subject will be al
lowed next Monday, when improve
ment club representatives wish to be
heard
Provides for New Lamps.
This street lighting ordinance pro-
yides that the light company will in
stall l,l50 additional lamps of the
power Mazda type and re-
place all of the old arc lamps with
he same type and maintain the sys-
.em at an annual expenditure not 70
,xceed the city's annual appropriation
or street lighting 1t is proposed to
,ive the company contract for five
Jears, with provision that the city
nay take over the equipment at the
md of three years.
Commissioner kugel raised the
,olnt whether there might be any
hing IN the proposed street lighting
winch would pc an imPedi-
nent IN case the peopie should de-
;ide to take over the iight plant Ior-
'oratioh Ionhsel Lambert assured me
commissioner tnat the point lie raised
lad been CONSIDERED
Mayor Dahii'la' TOOK tne slaru tIlat
ne people nave oeeli e'ai'iorn,g 10,
more llehis lor a lohg .lllle ana ne aiu
lot ilI'e"1 IT, ~ put .n'? Iat iiia.'ei vi h Gny
ohseI' ,.l iilIic an ,Ilu'Iaa,GnI 'lia'
lie stIeet ,sltlns eol., ,.l az WI ,i pG dP-
'Io.eH oy tie l;, sol,l,i;,tee' VI ''e "i'o''
~ mo.atay .'',n.;9, ~, Ennasi ing ,,ho.. 90
Nol POI as'1n SouiSs. fsL 1".ioe .i ~
won. nay u oee'l aIiei,ou .ae pa' ia tl
epoi ! VI .',e spII'"' III .J'''.i.see .h ~ .l'S
ie, ., cup, I .oIu lne eou1I'. lI
oIlliI.'tleg ma ma, nv , nau eAa,iaieu ,:e '.e
eport anu 'ooN several e"eep''o''S 10
he SANG; e., A. p:.
MAKES o"h risuies'
AN analysis OF the report leads me
o believe that the item OF S/o9,OOO
1cludcd by the auditors as early de-
elopment expense should be strick-
n out, leaving the total valuation Of
he plant at approximately $4,000
90" said Mr.. Lambert,
srd fna5 abs Snp. oGest ose rate would