The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-01-21
AID GIVEN TO F|REMEN'S FORCE
No Action Taken to Raise Money for
New Collins Street School House
North Side Street Commissioner sum-
moned on Complaint of Summer.

II
The members of the common council
got back on the vaudeville" circuit
again Monday night and the great
peace that had ruled over the cityshall
since the coming of the new year was
disturbed by one of the most wrang-
ling meetings that was ever held by a
common council in Kenosha. For more
than three hours the members of the
Honorable Body" engaged in bitter
personal strife. A part Of the time the
mayor left the chair and with Presi-
dent Thomey presiding ellis Honor
insisted on taking part in the work of
the meeting. 1t seems unnecessary to
say that the things that the mayor had
especially sought to bring about were
lost in an avalance, of noes when
vote was reached. There was not a
great deal accomplished at the meeting.
Featured was the fact that in answer
to a recommendation made by the chief
of the fire department., in his annual
report, the council gave it's sanction to
the addition of five more men to the
fire department. One man will be sent
to the north and west side stations and
the other three will go into service at
the central. 1t is thought that with
these added men it will be possible for
the full force to be at work at the
stations at all hours of the day. The
new men will be put on just as soon as
the police and fire commission has
certified names to the chief of the
department.
The action of the council in making
this large addition to the department
caused great rejoicing among the fire.
men. For a long time it has been de-
clared that Kenosha had the best fire
equipment to be found in any city of
the size in the state, but there has
been constant demand for more men
to take charge of this equipment. When
the annual appropriation was made by
the council provision was made for an
increase in the number Of men in
the department.
There was long discussion by the
members of the council and at times
it was decidedly bitter over the ques-
tion of the employment of the unem-
ployed men of the city on the grading
of Ridge street. Several of the alder
men held that the effort of the city to
furnish work for these men had not
been successful and that the great bulk
of the money paid out had gone into
the pockets of teamsters. The mayor
took the floor in favor of the city do
ing the excavation, but the many alder
men, who opposed the plan, held that
the contractor could use unemployed
men" just as well as the city and that
the city could save money by letting
the contract to the Petersen Construc-
ton Company. The matter finally
reached a vote and the contract was
let to the Petersen company.
School Commissioner Pofahl, special
representative of the board of educa-
ton, made long address to the coun-
Gil urging that some action be taken
to assure the board that money would
be on hand for the building of the
proposed Collins street school. The
matter was discussed at length but no
action was taken and the matter will
go to the people at the spring election
This was the original plan proposed by
the finance committee of the council.
Tho -. IL
Matt Pitts, was under fire during the
evening, former Street Commissioner
John Summer charging that he was
showing favoritism in the employment
of men. The commissioner and all the
men employed in the division were di-
rected to appear before the council at
the next regular meeting and at that
time an effort will be made to sift the
charges by the former commissioner.
There was an echo of other days in
the council when the Cleary, White,
Newman Company, which had the con-
tract for the trunk sewer, asked that
! it be allowed some of the money held
up by the council. The communication
from the company declared that the
claim of William Schmitt for damages
had been paid and asked that the com
pany be allowed $4,000 of the So, 400
still held by the city. The council cut
the amount to So, 800 and an order for
this amount was ordered drawn.
The council received from the Trades
and Labor Council set of resolutions
dealing with the employment of men
| IN the ice fields and special commit
tee was appointed consisting of Alder
men Anderson, Thomey and Mueller to
draft resolutions expressing the feel
| ing of the council.
1t was a long wrangling meeting
and the adjournment was not taken un-
| til lonp after eleven q 'elock