The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-07-05
Contractor McGoyern Urges City
Council to Make a Settlement
Of His Bill for Sewer Work
ELECT STEMM P00RMASTfR
Management of the Panpers Of the
City to Go Back to the Old Plan
With Sixth Ward Alderman az
Head Council Business

Contractor NJ. II. McGovern, of Chi
cago, is anxious to secure some sort
Of settlement from the city for the
sewer work done a year ago, and to
this end he appeared before the city
council Monday night and asked that
the city take some steps to get the
matter out of the way. There were
no threats or entreaties on the part OF
the Chicago man and he asked that
the council look at the matter from
secure an early settlement. Meow
ern's bill has been before the council
for may months and all sorts OF
trouble had been promised in connec-
ton with it. McGovern appealed to
the courts to force the city officials to
act, but the case never came up for
hearing. From the first the city en-
gineer and the street assessment COM
mittee have held that the bill of Nc
Govern was unreasonab1y high and
efforts to get a compromise have thus
far proved futile. AS result Of the
appeal Of McGovern for a settlement,
the council decided to meet in ad
iourned session on Thursday evening
for the consideration of this matter.
AT that time it is expected that re-
port will be presented by the city en-
gineer and by the committee on street
assessments, and the council will
make an effort to find common
ground on which settlement can be
reached. 1t is understood that Nc
Govern is willing to compromise the
bill, but it is possible that the matter
may yet find its way into the courts,
as it is known that the amount to be
recommended by the city officials will
be considerably less than the amount
demanded by the contractor.
The meeting Of the council on Mon
day evening was the most uuinterest-
| ing held since the present council
went into Office. Much Of the time
was given over to the routine work of
allowing bills and hearing reports of
| Committees on matters Of minor in
j terest.
One interesting matter came up,
and that was ia connection with the
care of the paupers Of the city. The
council, by unanimous vote, decided
to return to the old plan Of employing
! a poormaster, and Alderman C. F..
! Stemm, chairman of the committee
on paupers, was elected to the office.
/ He will receive salary Of $50 year.
During the past two years this work
has ali been managed by the pauper
committee, and the work has grown
SO heavy that it demanded a salaried
man. Alderman Stemm has given up
] a large amount of time to the work
/ during the last few months and he is
IN close touch with it. 1t was through
the efforts of the alderman that the
Washington home was cleaned out
/ last week, as Mr.. Stemm had heard Of
/ the abuses at the home and had noti-
fed the police to make the arrests.
The report Of the committee for the
!. year just closed showed that during
/ the year the money received by the
committee for use on the panpers was
/ ST., 649. As, and of this amount there is
still on hand the magnificent sum of
t $15.73. During the last few years the
number Of people cared for by the city
has been materially reduced until at
] the present time the amount spent for
the care of these people is decidedly
low for city the size of Kenosha.
There was largely signed remon-
STRANGE against the paving of Crate
street, and this matter was referred
to the street assessment committee.