The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-11-29
Independent Telephone Agents in
City Testing the Feeling
Of Kenosha People
WOULD CONNECT MANY CITES
Company Has Recently Secured Fran
chise in Milwaukee and Plans to
Extend Lines to All Parts of
Wisconsin Very Soon

representative of an Independent
Telephone company, recently granted
a franchise by the Milwaukee City
Council were in Kenosha Friday feel
ing the pulse of the Kenosha public in
regard to the installation of an Inde-
pendent Telephone service in Keno
sha. 1t is understood that the work
being done is entirely of preliminary
nature, but should the people of the
city welcome the new company with
open arms, there is little doubt but
that the old double system of tele-
phones would be in operation in Ken
osha within the next two years.
The company is planning to expend
a vast sum of money in Milwaukee,
and it is stated that it will seek to Sc
cure connections in every city on the
Lake Shore between Milwaukee and
Chicago. In Chicago the company
will join interests with one of the In
dependent companies now fighting for
franchise rights there. 1T looks now
as if the Lake Shore would be the
first section of the country to have a
complete long distance service which
would be in direct opposition to the
Bell system.
Kenosha people have had one dose
of double telephone system and it is
not altogether to be desired. The
purchase of the Citizens company by
the Kenosha Home Telephone com
pany practically put an end to all op-
position to the Bell system in Keno
sha, and now that the company is at
last getting settled it seems that the
service is being improved.
The coming of an independent com
pany to Kenoska would undoubtedly
greatly disturb al telephone business
IN the city, and it is very doubtful if
the Common Council could be pre-
vailed upon to pass an ordinance
granting franchise to new com
pany.
AT the time of the passage Of the
ordinance granting rights to the Citi-
zens' company, it was written in the
ordinance that should the company
merge with any other company al1sthe
rights granted would become invalid,
but this clause in the ordinance did
little good, as it is claimed that the
Kenosha Home Telephone company is
not using any of the rights granted to
the independent company.
The story of the Citizens company
should have been a lesson for Inde.
pendent concerns looking TO Kenosha
for business, as it is openly asserted
that the promoters of the Citizens
company lost more than thirty thou
sand dollars on the Kenosha deal.
| The men behind the Milwaukee con.
Germ are now seeking franchises in
other cities and it is claimed that the
lines will be extended from Mi1wau-
kee to connect with the Racine Inde.
| pendent lines as soon as the Milwau.
kee central Office is opened. 1t is also
| planned to extend the lines to Madi.
son, GAINESVILLE, Beloit, Fond du Lac
and Oshkosh and eventually to Green
Bay. Kenosha has not been very
fortunate with Independent compan.
les and in the past ten years no less
than a half dozen companies have
sought rights in Kenosha and the on.
Ily franchise ordinance that ever
reached the dignity of a considera-
ton by the council was the one
granted to the Citizens company.