The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-05-30
City Council Finally Yields to De-
mands for Changes in the
Sidewalk Ordinance
AN AMENDMENT PRESENTED
Saloon EMen Rush To.Get in More Sa-
looms Before Passage of Limit
ing Ordinance and Council
Transfers Licenses

Gil as at the adjourned session held on
Monday evening an amendment to
the ordinance was presented and from
the argument it is pretty evident that
the amendment will be passed by the
Council. This amendment will give
/ the property owners the right to lay
| five foot walks on all streets of the
city under sixty feet in width and on
all streets of four rods or over in
width six foot walks must be laid.
The ordinance had no regular intro
duction as the Council was sitting as
| a committee of the whole when it was
given itssfrst reading and while this
may delay the action for week or so
| it will not affect the final destiny of
the ordinance. The Council has now
arranged for grand mix-up for after
standing boldly by the guns for a
couple of weeks it is now evident that
a surrender is in sight and the peo-
pie in some parts of the city will be
allowed to dictate the width of walk
| to be put down. The complaints
I against the ordinance are nearly all
from the Third ward property owners
and in fact no other ward of the city
has made any loud protest to the
Council. In some places people who
we're law abiding have gone ahead
| and put in the six foot walks as called
for in the ordinance Notwithstanding
the fact that the neighboring property
owners had built only five foot walk.
If the ordinance is amended these
people will certainly have kick of a
large ca1ibre coming.
The proposed amendment will not
in any way benefit any of the prop
erty owners on the north side of the
city, as all streets on that side of the
city are sixty-six feet and they will
demand the six foot walk. Most of
the people to be. benefited by the
amendment reside on some of the
cross streets in the Third ward. The
ordinance for amendment was pre-
pared by the special committee of
which Aid. Truax, of the Third ward,
is chairman and the committee
worked hard to secure some adjust
ment of the trouble. 1t is just posi-
bic that some of the friends of the
original ordinance will get together
and defeat the amendment. In the
meantime the ordinance stands as
passed and if property owners desire
to keep out of trouble with the city
and still build five foot sidewalks
they should delay the building for a
week or so until this amendment is
disposed of.
The Council did not take up the
matter of adopting new rules as the
committee was not ready to report,
but this matter will be taken up at
the next regular meeting. A COM
mittee was named to make some plans
for revising and publishing all of the
ordinances of the city and this COM
mittee will make report next Mon
day night. If the book can be
brought out at a reasonable cost there
is no doubt but that the Council will
order this work done at once.
The Council had the usual amount
of saloon license business for the
meeting. There were couple of
applications for licenses which were
granted and Notwithstanding the fact
that members of the Civic Federation
were in the lobby during the meeting,
one license was transferred.
AT the behest Of some of the Labor
Unions the Council drew a close
line on the issuance of plumbers
licenses and in the future the man
who gets license will be forced to
pass an examination to show his COM
potency to act as a plumber. This
rule was aimed directly at Dowie
Gaastra, the contractor, who had
asked for license as a plum Der. 1t
is claimed that the Council is being
used by one of the Unions in a fight
against Gaastra. It is certain that
no examination for plumbers has been
demanded in the past, but it is said
that the state laws pre- vide for such
an examination. Along the same line
of work the City Council was asked to
take steps to pass general building
ordinance in the city and the Mayor
will appoint special committee to
draft such an ordinance. It is under
stood that the ordinance will follow
building ordinances now in use in
other cities in Wisconsin and Illinois.
1t is to be presented to the Council for
action at an early meeting.
Charles H. Gonnermann presented
the city with a number of cement
blocks and they will be utilized in the
North side park. The. contract for
the new walk. along the north end Of
Eichelman park was let to John
Priddis audit will be put in at once.
After the usual routine business the
Council adjourned until next MONDAY
evening.
President A. C. Frost, of the Chi
cago and Milwaukee road has made
a proposition to the City Council at
Waukegan for an extension of the
lines in that city. The proposition
does not seem to meet with any great
favor among the Waukegan aldermen.