The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-01-08
BIG FIGHT OVER ALLEY LIGHTS
Personal Interests Win a Real Victory
in Securing Installations Important
Ordinances Given their First Reading
Much Routine Business Transacted.

The common council met IN a frenZ1ed
session on Monday night and the long
wrangling meeting was sort Of a re-
call of the good old times on the coun-
ell. Nearly every member of the coun
Gil managed to work up some argument
during the evening and the council did
not reach an adjournment until long
after eleven O'Clock and nearly every
minute Of the three hours of the meet
ing was filed with action enough to
make real moving picture film.
Interest conferred about the contest
with the Wisconsin Gas and Electric
Company over the payment of a lot of
old bills that the city claimed against
the company. The officers of the COM
pany from General Manager Stearns
down were on the ground floor and they
| came with fight in both fists. They
got one back from the aldermen and
when the smoke of the battle had clear
ed away the city and the company had
a pretty good understanding as to just
what was what. The whole matter end
ed with the company agreeing to con-
TESS judgement in court on suit to
claims made by the city for the paw
| ing on Grand avenue, for 5000 of the
cost of rebuilding the catch basins on
the same avenue, for $3.50 agreed on
| as cost of paving on South street and
STA which is due the city for filing in
Jerome Greek on Ashland avenue. The
suit is brought in order to give the
company a chance to recover the
amounts paid from the former owners
of the lines in Kenosha. In return for
the agreement the city council ordered
the bills of the company for lighting
service paid. It took more than an
hour and half to thresh out these old
fights and to put an end to them In
addition to settlement Of the old claims
the company gave an agreement in
writing to pay the rebates for pave
ment on the south side of Market
Square just as soon as the city gets
releases from the property owners.
These rebates will amount to close to
wrangle cleans up the last of the trou-
bles between the city and the Wisconsin
Gas and Electric Company The com
pany did not present light proposition
but Vice President Way stated that it
would be willing to offer to Kenosha
| the same proposition that had been
made to the common council at Racine.
A formal resolution asking that such
a proposition be presented was passed
by the council.
Personal interest stuck up its head in
a marked manner at the meeting of the
council when Alderman Joachim de-
manded that the city council place
street light in the alley adjoining his
home. The committee had unanimously
voted against the installation Of the
Light, holding that it was against all
precedent, but the council finally vot-
ed to install the light, the north side
aldermen voting solidly on the PROPOSE
ton and getting also the votes of AL
dermen Roberts, Anderson and Filbin.
l. is probable that the setting of the
precedent will result in many demands
for lights in alleys in the residence dis
trlct. 1t might be stated that there
We're number of places in the seventh
ward where lights were much more bad
IS needed, but at that an alderman is
not much Of an alderman if he can not
get light to take care of his home
property.
Pass Bond Resolution.
The council by unanimous vote
passed a resolution to provide for the
submission to the people of the question
of issuing bonds in the amount of
100000 for the building of the propos-
ed new high school and this question
will go to the people at the next gen
eral city election. The council receiy-
ed the ordinance providing for the
change of the assessment plan and by
a unanimous vote it was ordered pub
llshed. Final action will be taken on
the ordinance at the second meeting in
February. The ordinance provides for
one assessor at salary of $500 a
year, this to be In lieu of all fees for
assistance in any way. The ordinance
takes care of the present year by fix
ing the salary of the assessor elected
at the coming election at $1,100 and
making the assessor who holds over
ar assistant. In case the assessor hold
ing over should resign the. salary is
placed at 81 500 for the first year
The ordinance providing for resi-
dence district to include a large terri
tory on Prairie avenue, Pomeroy and
Dayton streets was given its final
reading and passed.
The council finally managed to get
the question of decorative lights
Strengthened out and ordinances to give
the council power to install the lights
on Wisconsin and Market streets were
given their first READINGS Contracts