The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-06-15
ONDUCTs ON POMEROY
Company Announces It Will Meet De-
mands of City in Regard to Taking
Down Poles on Sheridan Road With
in Year--objects to Other Streets.

The special committee Of the city
council in charge of the fight for under
ground wires, met with the engineers
of the Wisconsin Telephone company
at the city hall on Monday night and
after a more than three hour session
had made little progress in the work
of settling the differences between the
company and the city. The members
oe the committee refused to rec nmend
to tho council plan suggested by the
company which provided for placing
wires undo. ground when earnings of
the company warranted The mem
bers of tho committee held that this
plan was entirely too indefinite to give
any warrant that the work would be
taken care of in the future. This plan
was especially suggested in connection
with the demands for the installation
of conduits under the pavement which
is to be laid on Pomeroy street this
year. The company's representatives
held that to place these conduits would
mean an expenditure of thirty thousand
dollars for the company and that such
an expenditure was not warranted.
They held that the company had plan
ned to place its main distributing sys-
TEN for this portion Of the city on
Prairie avenue and that the Pomeroy
conduits would simply be an added ex-
pense. The engineers declared that
they could not say when the poles on
Pomeroy street would be taken down.
Suggestions of an appeal to the rail
road commission to settle the rights of
the city to demand conduits under new
pavements were not to the liking of
the representatives of the company,
They declared that the Wisconsin Tela-
phone company did not like commits
sion hearings and that the company
would much prefer settlement of the
question with the city rather than an
appeal to the commission. Engineer
Barnes, representing the company, de-
clared that an appeal to the commits
sion at Green Bay under similar
circumstances had resulted in a vic
tory Tor Inc company.
Engineer Barnes declared that he
was ready to give q pledge to the COM
mittee that there would be no further
contest on the part of the company in
regard to the pole lines on Sheridan
Road and that the company would give
the assurance that all poles on this
street would be taken down by the
first of next June, the date set in the
underground ordinance. This has been
one of the big questions at issue be-
tween the city and the company and
the committee is to be congratulated on
forcing the company to meet this
demand.
While the representatives Of the
company did not declare for "peace
at any price, they intimated that the
company would be willing to make
concessions in regard to the under
ground work in order to retain the
good will Of the people of the city
The underground work is to be con-
tinued and arrangements were made
that some of the ducts which are to
carry wires for the city fire and police
systems will be laid by the telephone
company workmen. This was one plan
which met with the complete sanction
of both the committee and the engineers
of the company.
After the meeting was over the
members of the committee expressed
the belief that an amicable settlement
would be reached on all points at in
terest and that it would not be neces-
sary for the city to appeal to the rail
road commission to secure conduits on
certain streets. The company would
probably agree to meet the demands
of the Pomeroy street property owners
were it not that they fear precedent.
IF conduits are placed on Pomeroy
street they hold that the same demand
will be made from property owners Of
every other street in the city to be
permanently improved.