The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-09-19
Council Must Be Ready To Act on
River Pollution Before the
State Board Investigates
GRADE ORDINANCE is PASSED
Council Takes Last Step in Paving Way
for Market Square improvements
Police Pension Ordinance Was
Given Its First Reading

The Wisconsin State Board of
Health has called the bluff of the
City Council Of Kenosha in regard to
the further investig of the pollu-
ton Of the Kenosha River by the N.
r. Aliens Sons Tannery and if the
State Board is to take any further
action on the matter the city must be
ready to act before the member of
the Board come to Kenosha. Two
caustic letters from DIR. C. A. Harper,
president of the State Board, were
read at the meeting of the Council
Monday evening and both were of the
same nature. The state official de-
clared that the Board formerly came
to Kenosha and made recommends
lions and that the recommendations
we're not carried out by the Coun Gil
another visit to Kenosha unless the
Council gave assurance that it would
carry out the suggestions of the
Board. The Council took action on
the matter and the city attorney was
directed to ask the Board to again
come to Kenosha and assure the mem
bers that the city would take some
action on its suggestions. Some of
the mem bers were in favor Of direct
ing the Allen company to build a
sewer at once to carry off the refuse
from the tannery but this motion was
| nc he
bers of the Council thought that it
was possible that the members of the
State Board of Health would be able
to suggest some better way out of the
| trouble. In his letters to the Council
and the Board of Health President
Harper stated that the Board had sent
representatives to the city on former
occasion and that while the Board
was willing TO aid in any way possible
the money of the state could not be
spent for useless Investigations. The
matter has been taken up with the
managers of the tannery but they
have not taken kindly to the plan for
| the building of the sewer and it is
pretty certain that some drastic move
would have to be made by the city to
force the company to build. If
Grade Ordinance Passed.
The Council took the final step to
pave the way for the Improvement Of
Market Square last night when the
ordinance changing the grade of
Market strsst was passed by a unani-
nous vote and the new grade is now
estab lished. In this connection the
committee in charge of the change of
the grade reported that the change
was favored by all the property owners
and that the only damages to be paid
would go to the Becker brothers and
]. A. Peterson. The damages to be
paid to these parties will be the
amount needed to raise the buildings
and walks to the new grade, and fg-
ures submitted to the Council by John
Bruins show that this work can be
done for 81 ,562. 20. The bid of Bruins
for the work will be accepted and it is
planned to have the buildings raised
before the end of the year.
The committee to whom was re-
ferred the petition of the Balm Wagon
company for the vacation of small
portion of Pearl street between the
switch track Of the Northwestern
Railway company and Church street
reported favorably on the petition and
an ordinance will be passed at once.
| The report of the committee was ac-
copied by a unanimous vote and it is
thought that the ordinance will also
have the unanimous support of the
Council. In consideration of the
vacation of the street the Balm COM
pany has agreed to build a retaining
wall the full length of the Balm prop
erty on Market Square and do all the
grading necessary to bring the prop
erty up to the new grade. IT. is
planned to begin the work of filing
up the square at once and all dirt
taken from streets to be paved will be
hauled to the square for filing. It is
thought that the filling can be com
pleted SO that the work ofgpaving can
] be done next year. ThereEseems now
to be no doubt but that the plans for
the improving of the square. will be
carried out.
Police Pensions Up.
The Council took up the question of
pensions for the police officers of the
city and an ordinance making the
state law effective in Kenosha was
presented and given its first reading.
The provisions of the ordinance are
the same as the provisionsof the state
law. The Council decided to make a
further effort to enforce the dox tax
license ordinance and the City Clerk
was ordered to purchase tags for this
purpose. It is understood that the
license is to DE collected by the mem
bers of the police force as all money
received in this manner goes 70 the
police pension fund. The police off,
GERS have already organized board
to have charge of the fund but the
personnel of the board will not be an