The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-05-07
keuosha Electric Ry. Co. May Be
Forced To Give up Some Of
Its Rights in the City
MAKES POSITION CLEAR
Will Do All Work Promised in His
Contract With the City But
Must Forfeit If Rushed
With the Work

to the city officials in a conference on
Monday afternoon that it might be
necessary for his company to forfeit
some of the rights granted to the COM
pany under the extension franchise
given to the company a year ago last
January and in this connection he
frankly admitted to the officials that it
would be impossible for him to carry
out all of the provisions Of the fran
chise at this time or during the present
year. He stated that he would be will
ing to agree to carry out all next year
and that he thought that his financial
affairs were shaping themselves in such
a manner that there would be no doubt
that the promise would be kept to the
letter. He stated that he would be
able to do some work in Kenosha this
season, but that it must necessarily be
limited. On next Monday evening Mr..
Frost will appear before the Council
and state his case to the aldermen and
at the same time he viii give them writ
| ten statements Of the work he can and
cannot do.
Mr. Frost was perfectly frank in his
statements and admitted that the ques-
ton of raising money for the extern
sions in Kenosha was difficult problem
for him to solve. He stated however,
that he would keep faith with the peo-
pie Of the city if they could wait until
his affairs had readjusted themselves.
He made two propositions in regard to
the work on Grand avenue He stated
that he would be willing to forfeit the
rights of the company on that street if
the Council insisted on the line being
built by the middle Of June or that he
would agree to hay tracks and pay his
SHIRE of the cost of paving west of the
present paving, but with the under
standing that the work ON the remain
der of the street would not be done dur
ing the present year. He admitted
that he only planned single track on
Grand avenue and that he might be
forced to let this portion Of the fran
chise go and ask the city for rights
at another time. In regard to his share
of the work on Market Square he said
that the company had arranged to take
care of this work just as soon as the
city was ready to have the work done.
In regard to the paving on West Mar
ket street he stated that the company
would be willing to pay for seven feet of
paving this year but that they could
not pay for the twenty feet which was
to go with the laying Of the double
track on the street. That the com
pany had no plans for laying the double
track at this time, Mr. Frost stated was
certain. He gave assurance that he
would carry out the whole contract with
the people on West Market street if
they could see their way clear to wait
until next year.
| All the suggestions made at the con
ference would demand an extension of
time for the old ordinance and for this
purpose it would be necessary for the
Council to pass another ordinance. Mr..
Frost told of the present conditions and
declared that it would be necessary
for the Kenosha line to take care of
| itself for the present. He stated that
the receipts of the company for the
month of February were but thirty per
cent of the receipts for the same month
last year and that the receipts for
March were but fifty per cent of those
OF year ago and that at the same
time the operating expenses of the line
had been largely increased by the fact
that the new cars demanded more cur
rent and that the opening of the Ash
land avenue line had demanded several
new employees. He declared that he had
faith in Kenosha and would pay little
attention to The temporary falling off
IN the receipts if he could raise the
money elsewhere without being forced
| to bond other roads, but that under
the conditions he would be forced to
allow the Kenosha line to shift for
itself SO far as the extensions were
concerned.
In an interview after this conference
with the mayor and other officials Mr..
Frost stated that the affairs of the
Chicago and Milwaukee were righting
themselves as rapidly as could be ex-
pected and that while the work of
settling all the details would take many
months yet he had faith in the ultimate
success OF his plans. He declared that
ne had lost none of his enthusiasm and
that the troubles of his various lines
would disappear With the return of con-
fdence to the financial world.
The people Of Grand avenue are
clamoring for the improvement of the
street and the contract for the work
has been let, but it is possible that the
Council and President Frost will be able
to find some way out of the middle at
the conference next Monday evening.