Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-01-05
Mild Sensation Sprung From
Davenport of Merging of
Public Utilities
IN A $4,000, 900 CONCERN
Which Local Corporations Think Looks
Very Fairy-like-InvolVes st.
Louis Promoter.


merger was on foot involving all the
traction, power and light corporations
in the three cities and surrounding
community. These are the corpora
tons alleged to be concerned in the
deal:
Tri-City Railway company.
Davenport & Suburban Railway
company.
Peoples Power company, of Rock
Island and Moline
Davenport Gas & Electric company.
Peoples Light company of Daven-
port.
And likely in contemplation by the
promoters in addition to the strictly
local corporations:
Mississippi Valley Traction COM
pany, otherwise the Moline, East Mo.
line & WATERFOWL railway.
Iowa & Illinois railway.
Inc story of the Davenport paper
, is in effect that the deal is being en-
gineered and financed by George Ko-
, busch, president of the st. Louis Car
company, who will be the chief in
weston, and that the negotiations have
so far advanced that the end of the
, taken over by the controlling corpora
tions of which Mr.. Kobusch is the
, head 1t is said too, that he has asso-
ciated with him in the undertaking
New York capitalists almost entirely,
although it is understood that st.
Louis parties are interested in the
deal to some extent. Among others
from st. Louis, who. it is said, are in
tercsted in the deal, are George Ed
wards e Sons, large banking and
bond house of st. Louis, and Edward
Hidden, vice president of the Com
monwealth Trust company of ST
Louis.
The same paper is authority for the
statement that Mr. Kobusch recently
visited the tri-cides and looked over
the traction, power and light properties
!, here, and that since his return home
representatives of some of these in
terests, otherwise the Walsh Brothers
of Davenport, have made trips to st.
Louis. In fact J. w. Walsh's return
yesterday to his home in Davenport
was attended by the somewhat start
ling announcement of last evening.
Mention has heretofore been made
in The Argus of the possible consolida-
ton of the Walsh interests in Dav-
export, the Davenport Gas & Electric
and the Davenport & Suburban COM
panies, an eventuality which seemed
! not unnatural. and also of the forma-
ton by the Walshs of the Peoples
. Gas & Improvement company at Gin
ton to take in, so is was said, the
Walsh properties in Davenport.
But that such a consummation as is
now reported was even contemplated.
much less approaching contamination
was never dreamed of, and its an
nouncement last evening no doubt fell
upon the dumfounded ears of the peo-
pie of Davenport, just as the repetition
of the report will now be received by
the people of Rock Island
How far the story, for which the
!. Davenport paper is sponsor. is true,
or to what extent it lacks authority.
only future developments will dis
close
Tri-City Knows Nothing OF Ii.
]. F. Lardner. general manager of
the Tri-City Railway company de-
clares it is all news to him and to
the stockholders in his company as
we'll, so far as he knows. 1T sounds
too good to be true" said Mr.. Lardner,
when his attention was called to the
story. 1T is altogether too much like
a fairy tale-the figures are too gilt
tering, too alluring, and if the Tri-City
Railway company is going TO get what
would be its fair proportion of any $10,-
100000 proposition before the end of
this week, we wish someone would
Hell lis we are not dreaming
But to be serious Mr.. Lardner
continued, 1.-The Tri-City Railway COM
pany knows nothing whatever of this
project, has not been consulted, and
it's property is not for sale. Its stock
is not on the market nor in option, and
we have had no negotiations of any
sort looking to the parting with our
Interests. and we believe we are the
big end of any proposition involving
consolidation of public utilities here.
"Yes, Mr.. Kobusch was here some
time ago and looked over our property,
but he made us no offer nor did We
submit one to him. In fact, his visit
Il made no impression upon us, as this
is the day of mergers when projectors
and promoters are likely to come
around most any time with any kind of
a deal We receive visits from them
frequently and pay no more attention
to them. We are not in the merger
i business or the consolidation business,
either. We are contented with what
we have and are willing to go right
along as we have in the even tenor of
our way. We are not looking for buy
ers. and there will be no danger of the
Tri-City Railway selling out unless
someone comes along with a fabulous
price and so takes our breath away
that we let loose of the property before
we recover it,
/ The Peoples Power Side.
1 'Tf any newspaper or anyone else