The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-01-18
Representative of Kencsha c. &
E. Co. is Only Spectator at
Municipal Meeting
HINTS AT NEW CONTRACT
Advises City Fathers That Any Dis
cussion of the Municipal Light
ing Plant at This Time
is Premature

y
council committee on Municipal
Ownership held at the city hall Fri
day night, brought out the fact that
the Kenosha Gas & Electric company
is watching closely every movement
Eof the friends of Municipal Ownership
in the city, and the fact that r. N.
kimball, the general superintendent
OF the Gas company, was the only
outsider at the conference, shows that
the company is not going to be left
out when the discussion of the new
plant is on.
Mr.. Kimba11 was also the principal
speaker before the committee, and he
gave long talk in regard to the ad-
visibility of the city operating
plant, and discussed the conditions
prevailing in other cities where NUM-
cipa1 plants had been installed.
Chairman Stemm of the committee
presented reports of the work that
had been done by municipal plants at
Wausau, and what was planned to be
done at Streator, ILL.,, where a plant
is now being installed by the Mi1wau-
kee Engineering company now fgur-
ing with the Kenosha committee.
Mr.. Kimball, in his argument
against these reports, declared that
the conditions in the cities named
and in Kenosha were entirely at vari-
ance. He stated that he had investi-
gated the Wausau case and there the
city purchased the electricity by the
kilowatt from a local company, and
simply owned the poles and wires.
The report showed that Wausau Sc
cured lights at rate of $38 year per
light. Wausau, however, operates it's
plant by water power. Similar prices
were promised for the municipal p1a Mt
at Streator, but it was stated by the
perintendent that Streator could
not be considered on account of the
fact that coal was mined at Streator
and that it could be secured at
much lower rate than in Kenosha.
The further discussion of these re-
ports was limited as memb ers of the
committee seemed to desire to have
little more privacy in their discus
sion.
Some of the members of the COM
n1ittee considered the appearance of
Mr.. Kimba11 at the meeting in the
way of an intrusion, and, as Stem m
expressed it, it was hardly fair for
five of the most humble citizens of
the city to be asked to meet in discus
sion man so versed in the matter of
municipal lighting. The committee
could not at the meeting take any
action, and as Mr.. Kimba11 remained
until the last drop of the chairman's
hammer no recommendation to the
council was made.
One thing was brought out by the
preliminary meeting and that was the
fact that the city will be offered
more advantageous contract from the
Kenosha Gas'and Electric company,
should the municipal lighting plant
fail. pefintendent Kimba1l stated
to the committee that it would prob.
ably be possible for the company to
furnish better figures when a new
contract was proposed in 1909, and
that his company would be on the
spot with contract. The members
of the committee had a proposition
for Mr.. Kimball, and that was that if
the company could furnish lights
cheaper in 1909 there was no reason
why the company should not furnish
lights cheaper in 1906. Mr.. Kimba11
made no reply to this proposition and
would not entertain any proposition
for a change of rates before the end
|of the present contract. OF course
Mr.. Kimba11 stated that he could do
nothing now as to giving figures for
the new contract, asst was impossible
to tell where the price of materials
would go in the next three years.
Attorney Slater presented an
opinion to the committee in regard to
the issue of bonds and stated that the
bonds could be issued without a
legislative act. The bonds, he stated,
would only cover the property of the
plant. He also stated that it would
be necessary to submit the matter to
the people at the polls before any
contract could be let.
The figures from the Milwaukee
company were not ready for the con-
sideration of the committee but it was
stated that the company had fur
nished a report of the cost of the
plant at Streator which showed that
the plant carrying rs street lamps
cost complete $27, 900. Kenosha has
now 126 lamps in operation. The
committee will hold another meeting
in week at that time the full esti-
mate of the Milwaukee company for
the plant in Kenosha will be in the
hands of the committee. In the
meantime the mayor is awaiting the
figures of w. H. Wheeler, the Be1oit
engineer and his proposition will be
on hand by that time.
The secretary of tha navy has