The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-01-25

The unusual and unprecedented ac-
.ivity of the agents of the different
paving concerns which have, have had,
or want contracts in this city is at
tracing the attention not only of the
members of the council but of the peo-
Npla of the city generally. If the
agents get results from their present
work and all of the different COM
panies they represent succeed in get
ting contracts in this city, Kenosha
will have more paving done next sum-
iaer than in any year of the city IS
history. 1t is to be hoped that all of
tds. companies now looking for CON
fracts are moved to seek them merely
9r the natural desire to extend their
business and not because, as one con-
tractor remarked, any kind of q con-
tract with this municipality is
pretty soft" thing these days. Some
O. the present fighting is undoubtedly
The outcome of the invasion of the
local field by what some of the local
contractors are pleased to call an
outside company, that is to say a
company which has never bid on any
patin,g jobs in this city until recently.
There was time when it was COM
parativoly easy matter for the powers
that be in the council and the school
board to "switch" q contract to a
FAVORED firm or individual and compe-
ti6ion was consequently discouraged,
bHt che determined stand taken by
some of the taxpayers against letting
L contract to other than the lowest
bGder and the victory they won in the
courts has made that sort of fine work
much more difficult than it used to be-
rhe people are more ON their guard
and more ready TO defend their rights
aud The property owners who are APP
preached and solicited to sign any Of
obese paving petitions should be very
sure what they are signing before they
attach their names to any kind of a
document They should be sure that
the way is left open for competition
in the bids on the contract for their
paving on their streets and that no
special kind of material is called for
iii the potion which will prevent any
company except the one the solicitor
represents from bidding on the job.
The property owners should not put
themselves in a position where they
cannot reap the benefits of the sharp
composition promised by the rival COM
panies Other things being equal the
time when there is sharp competition
with many companies out for business
is the time to get bargains and it is
easy to see where substantial benefits
for the property owners who really
swami to pave next summer might fol
low war between, the contractors.
The agent of any paving company is
strictly within, his legal rights in seek
ing business in the city and no one
can prevent these agents doing all of
Chat kind of work they choose no mat
ter how annoying their work may be
to certain interests that have come to
regard this city as their private pre-
serve. The best thing that could pos
sibly happen to this city would be TO
have the sharpest kind Of competit ton
il every municipal contract. The thing
the property owners who want paving
viii have+to look out for is to see that
they are not tying themselves up to
any one company when they sign peti.
iions for paving by specifying any par
ticHtar kind of material Let ali OF
the contractors have an equal chance
at every contract and let them all 60
to it,