The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-06-18
City Council Asks for Bids for
Supplying Street Lights to
the City for Long Term
MORE MEN FOR POLICE FORCE
Kenosha to Have It's First Plain Clothes
Men-Council Vacates Street
to the Thomas B. Jeffery
Company

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The City Council met in regular four,
hour session at the city hall and in
that time managed to clean up consid-
cradle business that has been hanging
over the city for some time. The
Council went after one big proposition
when 1T decided to proceed at once to
secure some bids for the furnishing of
street lights for the next five or ten
years and to this end the clerk was
directed to advertise for bids for a five
and tenHyear contract not only in Ke-
nosha papers, but in some Of the leading
engineering journals in order that the
city may secure some competition. 1t
is understood that the Kenosha Gas
and Electric Company is ready to make
a proposal and that the price at which
it will offer light will be lower than
the price charged this year. The question
Of a municipal plant was limited at, but
no action taken of a final nature to
bring the matter before the voters.
The bids for the new contract are to be
opened at the first meeting of the Coun-
Gil in August.
@a o. Saloon Fight Promised
That there is going to be big fight
over the. granting Of saloon licenses
was shown at the very opening of the
Council last night when applica lions for
license were presented by ninety-four
saloon men. Alderman O'Brien raised a
strenuous kick against couple of sa-
looms on East Rowland avenue near
Market street and declared that these
saloons were outside the saloon districts
and that the city had no right to re-
new the license. He declared that they
were the worst saloons in the city and
this aroused the wrath of the mayor
who insisted that there were just as
bad saloons in the First ward and that
he would show up the records Of these
saloons before the licenses were grant
ed. All Of the applications were re-
ferred to the committee, but the truce
will probably be a short one and the
real battle will be started when the
committee makes report recommend
ing the, licensing Of the saloons. Some
pretty hard words were passed in the
tilt between the mayor and Alderman
O'Brien, but it all passed without seri-
Gus trouble.
Jeffery Company Gets Street
Another important matter to come be-
fore the Council was the ordinance for
the vacation of portion of Park street
to the Thomas B. Jeffrey Company
which was passed by a unanimous vote
of the Council. The company owns all
OF the land surrounding the portion of
the street sought by vacation and the
vacation had been agreed to by nearly
all of the property owners on Park
street. 1t is the plan of the company
to use the portion of the street for the
extension of their plant and they will
secure possession as soon as the mayor
has signed the ordinance. There was
no agreement reached as to what the
JefferynC Company will do for the city
for the vacation of the land, but it is
generally understood that the company
will not ask the land for nothing, but
will see that the city is reimbursed in
proper manner. However there was
no dickering in regard to- the vaca-
tion and the company is free to do just
as it sees fit.
More Police and Firemen
both the police and fire departments
are to be enlarged at the order Of the
Council and two new men will be added
to each department. The fremen will
both be selected by the police and fire
commission, but the commission will
put on only one of the police officers.
In this connection Mayor Scholey had
something to say in regard to the many
robberies and other crimes that had
been committed in Kenosha recently
and he2sNggested that the city employ
a first class detective to look into these
crimes, This met with the approval of
the committee on police and the Council
and the mayor will have charge Of the
hiring of the 'fplain clothes'' man. He
will be put on for two months and if
his services show an improvement in
conditions, his position will be made a
permanent one. The annual report of
the chief of police showed that during
the year just closed the department had
made arrests to the number of nearly
800 and that a large number of these
had been on state warrants. The re
por9 showed that the department. had
been doing decidedly good work along
the line of routine work, but the mayor
suggested that the big criminals had
not been captured. The report showed
that the department. had recovered
stolen property to the value Of $3.50,
had recovered 50 lost children and had
earned fees for the city to the amount
Of $88270.
To Use Bailey Canal
The Council decided by unanimous
vote to use the old RaiIev canal for