The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-01-09
Slogan for Kenosha in Connection
with Coming investigation
Of Commission.
MAYOR URGES EARLY ACTION
Commission Has Not as Yet Set Date
for Hearing and Mayor Will Go
to Madison to Demand an 3N
Early Hearing.

NINETY Cent Gas" is to be the slo.
gan in Kenosha during the next few
months, and Mayor James German
has written letter to the State Rail-
way Commission urging that the
hearing of his complaint against the
rates charged by the Kenosha Gas &
Electric Company be set for an early
hearing. The State Commission has
as yet taken no steps to set date for
the hearing of the evidence to be pro,
duced by the mayor, and the mayor is
planning to take trip to Madison ir
order to lay the matter before the
Commission personally and see to it
that no time is lost IN making an adj
iustment of the rates in Kenosha.
In the meantime experts are being
secured from other cities who are to
give evidence as to the business of the
rates charged for gas and electricity
in Kenosha. The complaint now
pending before the State Commission
is largely In regard to the rates
charged for gas, but it is understood
that later the Commission will also be
asked to take up the question of the
rates for electric light and power SER
vice. Copies have been made of the
charter under which the Kenosha Gas
& Electric Company is working and 1t
it is claimed that the company has
done many things which are not pro-
vided for in the charter. 1t is claimed
by the people who are pushing the in.
vestigation that the state charter Of
the company, while giving the com
pany a perpetual fran chise for the
use of gas mains In the streets of Ke-
nosha, does not give the company the
right to bring in gas from other cities
and It is claimed that large portion
of the gas being sold in Keuosha at
the present time is brought here from
Racine. The company makes 40 de-
NAL that large amount Of the gas is
being brought in from other cities,
but 1t insists that gas is still being
manufactured at the Kenosha gas
house. There are many things ia the
charter. of the company which will
bear investigation and it Is thought
that all of these things will be
brought up when the matter is taken
up by the State Commission.
Mayor German said this morning:
II am convinced that the Kenosha
Gas & Electric company can serve the
people of Kenosha with gas at ninety
cents thousand al profit and that
IS the mark that | have set as a result
Of this investigation. Mayor Cor
man has not made public the nature
of the evidence which he will pro-
duce to show that the rates are IN
just but he has stated that his ev
idence is ready for. the commission
just as soon as a date is set for the
hearing of his complaint.
The plans Of local capitalists to get
a franchise for a new gas com pauy
10 Kenosha are n1aterializing slowly
and it is thought possible that in the
near future the City Council will be
asked TO grant franchise to such a
com pany. In order to make such
company and franchise possibility
the consent of the State Commission
must be secured and before this is
granted it must be shown that
there is an actual demand for the ser
vices of new company in Kenosha.
The coming hearing will be Of
| greatest Importance as it will LARGELY
decide the question of a competing
company in Kenosha. Under the new
law if the Commission should decide
that the present company is giving
the city service at proper rates it
would be practically an impossibility
to get competing company in Keno
sha. Again it is claimed that the
fact that the old Kimball company
has perpetual franchise would have.
tendency to prevent any short term
competition.