The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-11-30
Father Time and Sewers.

a lot easier Tor ITCH HAL W CACOi 1hO
kingdom of heaven than for the Com
mon Council to secure the completion
of a sewer. Kenosha people have come
to know that the letting of sewer
contract is one thing and that the
building of sewer is another. Time
was when people had little ratification
meetings when sewer contracts were
let because they believed that they
were going to have sewers to drain
their cellars and make their home more
livable on account of the coming OF
modern conveniences. Now when a.
sewer contract is let, the wise man in
Kenosha begins to put in a couple of
years supply of coal and food supplies
and gets ready for a siege just as If
he were on the firing line in one of the
European countries. He has learned
to know that the letting of a contract
for a sewer is sort of a preliminary
nothing which means that the sewer
may be completed in year, maybe in
two years and maybe not at all. He
has learned that it means streets torn
up and impossible for an indefinite
time, for council squabbling and con-
tractor fourfushing. A sewer contract
does not mean great deal in Kenosha.
1t is not like other contracts which
bind men to do things and do them in
certain periods Of time. 1t is sort
Of license to swipe into the streets
and make them mud holes and to main
tain mud holes indefinitely.
Take for instance that extension of
the trunk sewer on the west side of
the city. 1t is going on two years
since the contract was let to the I'M
fortunate Mr.. Prang of Grand Rapids.
1t was expected under the contract
that the sewer would be completed
pretty nearly a year ago, but with a
year Of grace the sewer is far from
completion. Salem avenue, on which
part of the sewer is being laid, has
been practically out Of commission for
eight months and there is every rea-
son to believe that people who want
to get to the western avenue out of
the city, will continue to use the
rough and rugged cutoff" round
Harry avenue ways for the rest of the
winter and indefinitely into the spring
and summer. Death and injury has
followed the construction of this sewer
on account of the condition of the
streets. There may have been other
Init 1a,,4 NJ
of the street has been a big cause.
Other sewers in the western part of
the city have met with the same con-
ditions. The contractors claim to be
handicapped on account of their ina
bility to get men. They calmly tell
the council to Interfere with them at
its peril. Maybe they know just what
they are talking about. Many people
think that because the sewer contracts
contain a penalty clause which opens a
way for the city to force the hand of
the contractor, but these people are
promptly advised that on account of
the fact that the contract does not
offer bonus for speed there is no way
for the city to collect penalties for
lack Of speed.
What we want to know is how would
the people on Main street, Park street,
Durkee avenue and a lot of other
streets in the city like to have the
streets on which they live impossible
for months on account of delays in
sewer building? These people out in
the outskirts are going to pay more
for sewers than people in the down
town district ever paid and they are
entitled to have little show of speed
in the completion of the sewers. The
contractor may have bitten off more
than he could chew under conditions
in Kenosha. If this is the fact, and
the city has no way to force mastica-
ton, let the city go at the matter in
business manner and take over at once
the completion of these sewers. If it is
impossible to complete them this sea-
son, the next best thing is to close up
some of the holes and put streets in
condition to be used during the winter
season.
People who want sewers should not
be forced to give up the use of their
home streets for months and years just
to be given a chance to expend their
money. There is no longer any reason
to follow the course of least resistance.
The time has come for the city to take
the bull by the horns and if the sewers
can not be built by the entire reliable
contractors who have contracts for
them to make an appeal to the bond
holders for relief for the people. IF
the bond holders are unwilling to come
to the rescue, let the city employ men
and take all the brains of the city en-
gineer's Office and concentrate it on
the building of these sewers and the
completion of them in the shortest pos
sible time. The question of who is to
pay can be settled after the people
have been given relief from conditions
which drive out public convenience