Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-02-08
FIRE TRUCK MEN
ENGAGE IN FUSS
Agents for Various Motor Apparatus
Appear Before City Council to
Exploit Their Machines.
MURPHY OFFERS TO BET zIAIMAN

All Omahans who attended a Chi
cago automobile show and observed
specimens of motor fire apparatus
| marked 20. F. D." with additional
evidence of having been sold to the
city of Omaha. please stand up or call
at the city hall. A $500 bet is i'm
minent. Also eminent automobile
men may engage a hall in which to
extol the merits of their respective
equipment to taxpayers OF Omaha,
who just now are in the unenviable
position Of being in the market for
$4,000 worth of fire apparatus.
The city council committee OF the whole
let down the bars AMI allowed all of the
! apparatus men to horn their way IN and
! exploit their stuff" which trade word
means in this instance motor apparatus
for fire departments
Murphy offers 60 Ret.
The situation is growing acute. During
| the meeting Attorney H b. zimman, for
the White people. stated he had informa-
ton that at recent Chicago show two
!
hibited with signs asserting they had been
sold to Omaha. Bert Murphy of the local
La France agency Immediately jumped
up and offered to bet $500 that the alleged
Chicago incident did not occur
Attorney Zimman, however. brought out
the fact that a few days after the bids
were opened by the city council the La
France people had a private hearing at
night time in Commissioner withnelrs
office and that other bidders had not been
invited to that conference.
If reports are true that the La France
apparatus has been selected by the
superintendent and chief of the fire de-
partment, then we are foreclosed from
any hearing" declared Mr.. zlmman. but
believe it would be we'll for the COM
missioner and the chief to tell the other
commissioners and the people Just where
In the La France machine will best
serve the public interests"
Withheld Prefers In France.
Commissioner Withheld replied that the
selection or selections would be made bv
the entire city council. but, speaking for
himself he would buy the La France,
because all members Of the fire depart
ment want that type of machine.
c. j. Anderson. one Of the bidders, Of
fered to furnish the city machines as
stable in every respect as the La France
for $500 less per car, or $4,000 less on the
entire job Mr.. Anderson took note that
the city did not specify in the pro-
posals just what kind of cars wanted.
but left that to the bidders
Ratings Are Fictitious.
I'm all but two instances the horse
power ratings as shown are fictitious.
declared Mr. Anderson.
Asked what has been done in the wa,
OF investigation since the bids wer,
opened, Commissioner Withheld said tn
chief and master mechanic of the fir
department went to Des Moines to oh
serve the fleet of La France machine
} in use.
Efforts to secure information of price
paid by other cities for motor fire an
paratus has not been very satisfactor
TO the city commissioners.
The municipal affairs committee OF tn
Commercial club sent the city commits
sioners letter asking that action o.
the purchase of the apparatus be post
poned until the matter could be gon
over by the commissioners and the com
mittee In Joint session.