The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-07-10
RESOLUTION UNSATISFACTORY
General Manager stearns Insists That
City Guarantee to Company Right
to Leave Tracks at Side Of Roadway
During Life of Franchise Ordinance

The city is in for another fight with
the Kenosha Electric Railway Company
and its successor the Wisconsin Gas &
Electric Company and General Manager
Stearns While in Kenosha on Wednes
day afternoon declared that the com
pany had decided to decline to pay for
the twenty feet of paving on South
Ashland avenue. The company is not
satisfied with the resolution passed by
the common council and Manager
Stearns holds that it does not carry
out the gentlemen S agreement,
made between himself and the commits
tee representing the council. The mayor
and members of the council have held
up their good right hands and have
taken a solemn obligation that they are
through with gentlemen's agreements
with the company and that any deal
ings in the future will have to be over
the official seal of the company No
gentlemen IS agreements will go. MIR.
Stearns now holds that in order to get
the company to pay for the twenty feet
of paving on South Ashland avenue
the council must pass resolution or or
dinance by which the right Of the COM
side of Ashland avenue, will be main
tanned for the life of the franchise
which is something like 40 years. Right
here is where the split comes between
the company and the council. Mayor
Head holds that to make such an agree
ment would be selling the birthright of
the people of Ashland avenue for a
mess of pottage ana he has the support
of a majority Of the aldermen in his
decision.
The mayor holds that the council
met every demand of the company when
it passed resolution giving the com,
pany an additional five years in which
to get in the second track on Ashland
avenue and that to make permanent
the present location of the track would
be going long way further than
than the city would go. 1t is just pos
sible that such an agreement would
prove very embarrassing to future
councils.
The question now arises as to who
will pay for the. paving of the portion
of Ashland avenue in case the company
welches on the agreement made with
the company. Under this arrange
ment the company was to pay for TWEEN
ty feet of the pavement and the man
ager of the company now insists that
the company will pay for but ten feet.
The total bill for the pavement as sent
to the company was in the neighborhood
of $1,000. There is no contest over the
pavement of the ten feet, this being
specified in the franchise ordinance.
The people on the avenue agreed to
tho paving of the street with the nm
derstanding that the company pay for
twenty feet. 1t is pretty certain that
if the company insists on maintaining
the position that it will pay for but
ten feet that the council will take some
Immediate steps to force the company
to take up the tracks on Ashland ave
nue. and lay them in the center of the
street.
Manager Stearns declared that the
company had not as yet decided what
stand it would take in regard to the
building Of the bridge over Pike river
at Ashland avenue Formal notice has
been served on the company to build
he bridge but as yet no plans have
been submitted by the company and no
steps have been taken to comply with
the order of the city.