The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-04-08
Council Awards Five.Year Con.
tract for Street Lighting to
kenosha Electric R'y Co. sass
MUST FILE RELIABLE BOND
Company Offers to Furnish Lights at
So Less Than Kenosha Gas and
Electric Co. and Promises Com !.
mercial Lighting System a< 3.

The city of Kenosha secured an alb
solute divorce from the Kenosha Gas
and Electric Company on Monday
evening when the Council by unani-
nous vote decided to give the con
tract for lighting the streets of the
city during the next five years to the
Kenosha Railway Company and the
contract will become operative when
the railway company shall file with the
city clerk bond for carrying out it's
provisions which is satisfactory to the
members of the Common Council.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
lighting question had been under dis
cussion in the Council for more than
six months the finish came in compare
lively short order and two hours af-
ter the bid of the railway company
had been submitted to the Council
by Alderman Pirsch, head of the
special lighting committee, Manager
Loughridge of the railway company
walked out Of the city hall with tie
assurance that he would get the con
tract if he could furnish the proper
bonds and there is little doubt but
that the company will be able to
furnish this bond The price named
in the contract is 500 per year for
each light up to $50 and all lights
over $50 shall be furnished at the
rate of sos year. The lowest price
offered by the Kenosha Gas and Elec-
trio Company was 500 per light per
year for term Of ten years and the
lowest five year price was $72.
The report Of the committee was an
interesting one. It showed that the
committee had appealed to many peo-
pie to come into Kenosha and build a
plant for street lighting, but the com
panies had declared the proposition an
Impractical one. After the sale of
the Kenosha Electric Railway Com
pany to the London Investment Regis
try Company OF London, England, the
agents Of the company took up the
proposition with the result that a bid
was sens 20 tie Council.
In the report the committee declar-
ed that the Railway Company would
also ask the city for the right to in
stall commercial lighting plant in
the city and said that if the city, with
the consent Of the State Railroad Com
mission, grant this request, the com
pany will agree to furnish electric cur
rent for lighting or power purposes at
cost nearly hundred per cent less
than is now being charged by the Ke-
nosha Gas and Electric Company.
The commercial lighting proposition
is generally regarded as a play to car
ry through the contract for lighting
the streets and as such O. play it work
ed admirably.
The hurried action in disposing of
the matter was in the line of Grail
road" and it went through with such
dispatch that a majority Of the mem
bers Of the Council did not awake to
the real purport until after the matter
had been decided.
The discussion Of the matter brought
out some decidedly startling state
ments of condemnation of the Keno
sha Gas and Electric Company in
which the mayor and Aldermen Pirsch
and Higley took part. Compliments
of very doubtful nature were heaped
upon the head of General Manager
Kimball who appeared for the com
pany and they were kept up with such
surprising regularity that they became
an old story. With the presentation
of the report of the committee Attor-
ney Barnes asked to be heard as the
agent of the Kenosha Gas and Elec-
trio Company and asked that time be
given for the company to put in a
competitive bid This was not popu-
lar with the members Of the Council
as it was declared that the Kenosha
Gas and Electric Company had re
peatedly stated that they had given
the city the lowest figure possible for
lighting the streets Of the city. Man
ager Kimball addressed the. Council
and then came rapid fire Of derision.
Mayor Scholey sought to show by
elimination that John l. Beggs was the
owner Of the Kenosha Gas and Electric
Company and that the corporations of
the state controlled the State Rail
road Commission In the talk with
Mr.. Kimball the mayor became bitter
Alderman Pirsch declared that the
Kimball company could not be con-
sidered in the matter on account Of
the fact that they had not repaired
the streets which had been torn up
for installation of mains and Alder
man Higley finished up with a bitter