Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-01-07
COUNCIL CUTS
BUDGET TOMEET
CITY TAX LEVY
Stormy Session in Which
Planning Board Is Put on
the Irons But Pulls
Through.

nv NSubSiIs dBtCl d SlOlllN StS
sion yesterday afternoon, finally
squeezed the appropriations for fun
ming the city government in 1915
down to the amount estimated to be
available from the tax levy, to wit
$l.S00,085.
The tax levy is $l,S52000 but not
all that is levied is collected and the
commissioners in making their pre-
liminary cuts didn't take cognizance
OF this fact.
/ A violent argument over the city
4 planning commission was a feature
| of the final bout yesterday.
I'll vote to drop the whole city
planning commission" said Com
missioner Butler. 1T isn't giving
any results
Money For City Planning.
Other commissioners, however.
thought the commission is doing
work which will show up in years
Z to come. Commissioner IRE said lie
thought the city planning commits
sion should not get the $4,000
voted to it few days ago, this be-
ing just double its last years ap-
preparation. He asked for a cut to
$4,000. Finally the commission S
appropriation was left at $4,000.
From the city library's appropria-
ton OF $55,O00 the sum of $4,000 was
taken, giving it $4,000 for the year
lAinstead of $4,000 that it had last
I year.
Budget is Fixed.
From the miscellaneous fund
$1,000 was taken. The judgment
fund was reduced by $4,000. Several
/ other small cuts" were made until
+ the final budget as agreed on for
Y 1919 was as follows: =
Public affairs department, $l05,-
\ SOC.
Accounts and finance department,
T4,ls0.
Police, sanitation and public
/ health, $434,490.
Fire protection and water supply,
4 $64C,S00.
Street cleaning and maintenance,
/ Si76,125.
Parks and public property, $ll2,-
800.
Public improvements, $l395O0.
The newly created miscellaneous
fund has $1,000 and the municipal
garage fund, $4,000.
The budget will be passed by
( resolution at the meeting of city
4 council this morning.
Revoke Soft Drink License. .
An amendment to the soft drink
ordinance was passed after an argu-
ment. The amendment makes the
possession or sale of Intoxicating
/ liquor BY soft drink parlor suffi-
Gent reason for the revoking of the
dealers permit. 1t also raises the
I price of permit from 81 to IS a
year. Under the old ordinance the
permit could not be revoked until
the dealers had been convicted of an
offense.
You will get farther in this ousl
ness by common sense than by radi-
cal IDEAS" Commissioner Zimman
I said in opposing /. the, amendment
There is no more reason for this
Z amendment in regard to the 700 or
500 soft drink places than in re.
/ gard to the fruit stands or haber-
Il dashery stores. A man may go into
II one of these places with bottle OF
whisky on his hip and drink it IN a
side room And if an officer sees him
the dealers permit may be. revoked
af once and his business destroyed
through no fault of his =.
MIR. Ringer said they have had
trouble with many of the soft drink
parlors and he intends to shut down
Cd them with an iron hand.
Gas Bills Too High.
IA committee Of women from the
Bemis park district presented their
grievances against the gas company
for greatly increased bills. o,<
Mrs. G.. A. Bartholomew, l0Zo
North Thirty-third street, declared
/ that bills have doubled and trebled
/ irf the last three months. j..
~Our bill went from an average OF
h 81 month to $4.S3 and the next
month to a little over $6% she said.
she mentioned another which rose
from $3.75 to $l3.
Mrs. A. Blomberg, 2S70 Titus ave-
nue., said, Our bill used to average
SIS and we had nine boarders. Now
when there are only three of us we
had a bill OF SIS and 50 in the last
two months" :. .,
4 commissioner Urc said he thought
smnch OF this increase in the bills was
{ due to the fact that sometimes the
readings are for less and sometimes
Hfof more than a month.
| 4My last BILL" he said, was 81 per
cent higher than the one before, but
III found the bigger bill was tor pc
kricd of two weeks longer than the
smaller one, and the cost OF gas per
dan on the larger bill was actually
tess than the smaller one"
Mayor Smith said he knew IN
some households it is customary to
light the gas in the oven IN the
morning and use it to help warm up
The kitchen. .,
The whole question was referred
Etos Mayor Smith to investigate.
Protests Repair Shop.
Clarke Powell appeared before the
city council to protest against the
location of the municipal garage and
repair shop in the basement OF the
Auditorium.
I'VE absolutely need that space
gfor the Auto show, beginning March
TO- he said. Il was shocked when
Manager FRANKIE of the Auditorium
Atefephoned me that we could not
use Tie basement this year and l
think it is !, great mistake to put a
lRafage in the Auditorium. 1t may
SAFE you something on garage hire
sfof city cars, but it will absolutely
CAdoo Will Not Assist in
Settlement Of Peace Treaty
Ay.~h:octon Tan 6-The adyisa :