The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-12-16
INSTRUCT COMMITTEE TO ACT
Demand Will Be Made on Treasurer of
Volunteer Fire Department to With
hold Money from Volunteers Until
After Some Decision is Secured.

Claiming that under the present
state law all monies paid to the city
treasurer by the state as the rebate of
the two per cent of insurance premiums
collected in Kenosha, should be paid
into the fund for pensions of the paid
fremen, the trustees of the fremen s
pension fund in session on Friday af-
trnoon, appointed committee to act
in the matter with power to fight by
injunction if necessary to see that this
money goes into the pension fund.
For years one half Of this two per
cent of the insurance premium has been
paid into the pension fund and the
other half into the funds of the old
volunteer FIRE department.. Out of this
small sum has been paid annually to
all members Of the volunteer depart
ment in good standing. This percent
age of the fund was paid last year and
it is expected that Charles G. Brown,
treasurer of the volunteer department,
will in few days be called upon to
pay out the fund in a similar manner.
The committee in charge of the fight
for the paid fremen, consists of Fire
mem Hansen, Noering and Jensen and
these men have engaged an attorney
to look after the interests of the pen
sion fund and if necessary an injunc-
tion will be served on Treasurer Brown
to prevent any part of the money re-
turned by the state being paid to the
volunteer fremen.
The old fight between the volunteers
and the paid fremen has been on for
several years and each session of the
Legislature in the last three years has
passed some law for the disposal of
this fund. The present law provides
that all of the money returned from
the state treasury shall go into the
pension fund of the paid fremen.
There is some reason to believe that
for the past three years this money
should have taken that course. It had
been expected that the volunteer fire.
men themselves would take some steps
leading to disbanding, but when this
action was not taken the trustees of
the pension fund decided to act.
Up to late hour today no iniunc-
tion had been served, The paid fire.
men are seeking to settle in court the
rights of the pension fund to this
money and they believe that this end
can best be attained by temporary
injunction to prevent the payment of
any amount Of the money to the
volunteers.
Such an action will at once open in
court the whole question as to the
rights of the paid fremen IS pension to
this money. IF the injunction is made
permanent the question will be settled
for all time. On the other hand should
the courts hold that the volunteers are
still entitled to receive one half of the
amount returned by the state the paid
fremen will make no further contest
in the matter This money was paid
into the city funds last May and per-
centage of it was at once turned over
to Treasurer Brown of the volunteers
by City Treasurer Steinmetz.
The annual meeting Of the trustees
of the volunteer department. is to be
held in few days and it is probable
that at this meeting provision will be
made for the division of the fund.
Should such division be stopped by
it is admitted that it will
bring disappointment to many of the
volunteer fremen. At that the trus-
tees of the pension fund insist that if
the state law is followed every cent of
the money must be paid into the fire.
mems pension fund. It is admitted
that the local fremen have made in
spections required by the state law
and that every provision of the law
has been met by the paid fremen.