The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-06-09
OLD COMPANY WILL CONTEST
Hearing is to be Held in the Court
Room on June 9th and May Con-
tinue for Several Days Before Deci-
sion is Reached.


letter from Secretary Winterbotham of
the Wisconsin State Railway Commits
sion announcing that the date for the
hearing of the petition for certificate
of convenience and necessity filed by
the Kenosha Electric Railway Company
which seeks a franchise for an cleo
trio lighting business in Kenosha will
be heard on June 9th. The hearing
has been set for Kenosha and all Of
the members of the commission will
come to Kenosha on that date. At the
suggestion of the secretary of the com
mission Mayor Scholey has secured the
use of the circuit court room for the
hearing.
This will be the first visit of the
whole commission to Kenosha and it
is possible that the hearing on the pc
tition will last for several days. The
city under the resolution recently pass
ed by the common council is expected
to take an important part in the hear
ing AS yet no witnesses have been
summoned to appear before the COM
mission, but it is expected that many
Kenosha residents will be called in an
effort to show that there is demand
for competition in the electric lighting
and power business in the city.
The Kenosha Gas and Electric Com
pany, a. corporation doing business
under an indeterminate permit issued
by the commission, will oppose the
granting of the certificate and it is
expected that the real fight between
the two companies will come before
the commission at Kenosha. The Ke-
nosha Gas and Electric Company is
fighting the Kenosha Electric Railway
Company in the courts of the state at
the present time, but the fight in court
will have the sting taken from it if
the commission decides to issue the
certificate asked by the electric rail
way company. 1t is conceded that
the council will grant franchise for
the new company if the commission
gives the company the right to com
pete with the old company.
Many people believe that the cleo
trio railway company has waited too
long in seeking the certificate and
these insist that the petition for this
certificate should have been filed at
the time the contract for the street
lighting was let to the company. At
that time the Kenosha Gas and Flee
trio Company had a contest on with
the city in regard to rates, but since
that time this matter has been adjust
ed under the sanction of the railroad
commission and the rates for both gas
and electricity have been considerably
reduced. The railway company it is
admitted is banking great deal on the
help that the city may give to it in
the hight before the commission and
it is evident that the commission is
considering the city as a party to the
original pei; ton. The decision of the
commission in the Kenosha case will
be watched with great deal of in
terest in cities in all parts of the state
on account of the fact that Kenosha
will be one of the first cities where a
certificate was sought after the exist
ing company had filed surrender of
franchise in order to accept the pro-
lection Of the public utilities law.
1t is expected that the petitioning
company will seek to show "a great
many of the troubles between the
city and the Kenosha LAS and Flee
trio Company as they existed before
the coming of the new company.