The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-11-19
MEETING IS 0NELONG WRANGLE
Aldermen and Mayor Clash Over Many
Propositions-Cit to Put Thumb
Screws to Wisconsin Gas B. Electric
Co. In Effort to Get Conductors Back.

There will be no increase in water
rates at the present time so far as the
consumers of the company are concern
ed as at the meeting of the common
council on Monday night the council
by practically unanimous vote decid-
ed to assess an annual hydrant rental
of ten thousand dollars against the city
as a whole and this will be paid over
to aid in paying the cost of proposed
improvements. No time was set for the
payment of the annual rental and the
payments will be continued just as long
as there is demand for the money to
meet the obligations Of the water COM
mission. Alderman Joachim of the
seventh ward was the only alderman to
go on record as opposing the plan of
paying the annual rental to provide
fire protection for the city. There was
no discussion of the matter. It was
after eleven o'clock when the one CON
tlnual wrangle which goes down on the
records of the city as a Council
meeting'' reached the point of taking
up resolutions and the worn out alder
men hurried to vote for the hydrant
rental plan in order to get an adjourn
ment of the long drawn out meeting.
When the resolution had been passed
some one suggested that the aldermen
linger long enough to elect water
YpfafrN 10 1,A~ r..
Greenwald, but a motion to lay the
matter over until the first meeting in
December was carried with a whoop
and the council adjourned.
To Fight Railway Company.
Interesting in the proceedings Of
the council was the expressed desire of
the aldermen to do all in its power to
force the Wisconsin, Gas and Electric
Company to return to the plan Of using
conductors on the cars on the local
lines. There was motion passed which
provided that a committee be sent to
Milwaukee to protest against the pres
emit plan of operation to the officials of
the company and the committee was
given power to go right on up to Madi-
son from Milwaukee if it failed to get
satisfaction from the officials of the
company. A motion was passed order
ing the company to fulfill it's franchise
contracts with the city to the letter,
this including the operation of cars on
at least a ten minute schedule and the
immediate repair Of all street pave
ments which have been torn up by the
company in building or replacing
it's tracks.
am not in favor of interfering
with any public corporation just for the
sake of interfering said Alderman
Bounsall, who was one of the leaders
of the assault on the company, "but
there is no charity with the Wisconsin
Gas and Electric Company and be-
lieve that we should demand from this
company an exact compliance with
every provision of its contract with
the city"
Chairman Gundlach of the transpor-
tatlon committee, declared that he had
made an examination of the books of
the company and that these had shown
big losses in earnings and that he had
been given to understand that as soon
us the traffic warranted it the conduc-
tors would be put back on the cars.
To Try Discounting Bills.
The finance committee reported fav-
orably on plan of experimenting with
discounting some of the bills of the
city and the city engineer is to take
the place of purchasing agent in an
effort to try out the plan and see if it
results in any saving for the city. A
new system of orders will be installed
which will make it possible for the
members of the council to see at the
end of month or two just what can
be saved for the city by the pro-
posed change.
The council spent nearly an hour
discussing the question of paying AS
SCISSOR Joseph Meyer for what he con-
sidered overtime work in connection
with the making of the assessment.
The assessor addressed the council and
he and President Thomey had a wordy
war which eliminated when Thomey
declared that he would enjoin the city
treasurer from paying an order to
Meyer if the council voted him the
extra pay. Notwithstanding the threat
the council by vote of nine to eight
agreed to pay Meyer $685. in full of
his claims against the city.
The old claim of Conrad Hansis for
damages done to his property on Park
avenue at the time of the building of
the trunk sewer, bobbed up again and
he demanded that the city settle the
claim at $1,000 or disallow it so that
he might take the matter into the
courts. The aldermen declined to take
any final action and referred the mat
ter to the committee on claims.