The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-12-01
Railroad Commission Fin
ishes Taking Testimony
in Lighting Case
ARGUMENTS TO Be MADE SOON
No Sensational or Spectacular Evidence
is Brought Out in the Closing Ses-
sion Before the Commission. Specu-
late on the Results.

The long investigation on the part
of the Wisconsin State Railroad Com
mission into lighting commissions in
Kenosha came to close late Tuesday
afternoon and the matter of granting
or refusing to grant the certificate OF
convenience and necessity for the Ken
osha Electric. Railway Company to en-
ter the local light and power field is
up to the members of the commission.
The petitioning company and the Ken
osha Gas and Electric company which
opposes the grant will be given a
chance to argue the question before
the commission but when Assistant
Secretary Walker left for Madison
Tuesday evening he had set no date
for the hearing of the argument. Both
of the companies are willing to have
the matter settled at the earliest pos
sible time and for this reason it is
not thought that any time will be lost
in getting the arguments over.
The closing session before the COM
mission brought nothing of the spec
tacular or the sensational and there
was really little of interest to the
people Of the city at this session. The
attorneys for the Kenosha Gas and
Electric company have repeatedly held
that no evidence bearing directly on
the point before the commission has
been taken at the hearing and when
they put General Manager r. N. Kim
ball on the stand they declared that
their purpose was to have him deny
certain bits of the evidence which had
been given in support of the petition
ing company in which untruthful state
ments had been made. Mr.. Kimball
was the only witness on the stand. He
was submitted to a rigid cross exam.
nation on the part of Attorney Drew
who appeared for the Railway COM
pany and the questioning became so
tangled at one time that Mr.. Kimball
on the advice Of his attorneys refused
to answer the question even after he
had been instructed to by Assistant
Secretary Walker. The presiding re-
preventative of the commission admit
ed that the question might not be a
suitable question. Kimball seemed to
think that the question which was one
testing his memory in regard to GER
tain points of his testimony was made
with view of clouding the records
and for this reason he refused to an
swer.
The Kenosha Gas and Electric com
pany sought to show by its single wit
ness that the company had recently in
stalled the most modern machinery pos
sible to buy and that with this equip
ment the company would be able to
meet every adequate demand of the
city so far as either light or power was
concerned. He denied many statements
that had been made by witnesses and
declared that several Of the witnesses
who had testified had been discharged
by the company on account of incom
petence.
At the conclusion Of the cross ex-
animation it was agreed that both of
the companies would have statements
and figures to file in regard to claims
in Kenosha and these will be laid be-
fore the commission at the time of
the argument.
Attorneys who have taken an inter
est in the hearing discussed it very
generally on Tuesday evening and this
morning they were divided as to their
idea of the outcome. Men interested
in the side of the railway company
declared that the company had shown
clearly the need of another public util-
ity IN Kenosha while those on the
other side declared that the commits
sion had ruled against the railway
company OH every point of Importance
that had been brought out and that
there was no chance for the certili-
cate being granted. The people of the
city will await with good deal of in
terest The decision of the commission.
1t is thought possible that a decision
IN the matter will be handed down by
the first of the new year.
Should the commission decline to
grant the application for the certifi-
cate the Railway company may yet de-
pend upon a decision of the supreme
court to give it rights in the city.
Should the commission issue the Ger
tifcate the Common Council will be
asked to pass new franchise ordin-