The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-07-06
COMMISSIONERS HEAR MANY
Madison Hearing Brings No Fireworks
Indication Is That Track Elevation
for Kenosha Is Long Way in Fu-
tvre-Discuss Main Street Plan.

The reopening of the entire question
of elevation of the tracks Of the Chi
cago and North-W Railway Com
pany was made at the hearing before
the commission on Friday and the com
mission took the question under advise
ment and it is possible that decision
viii be handed down before the 10th Of
July when the order of the commission
issued some time ago is to become eff
fective. The demand for the reopen
ing of the proceedings was made by
the attorneys and engineers for the
Northwestern. They insisted that if
the commission make any changes in the
order to meet the demands of the city
and individual property owners that
the whole matter be re-opened so that
it could be taken up anew. 1t is claim
ed that the company is not entirely in
sympathy with the order of the com
mission as it holds that the order is too
favorable to the city and more favor
able than has been made in other cases
where elevation has been sought in Wis
consin. The railroad company demand
that the vacation of streets be made
necessary before the work of elevation
was started. The important question as
! TO the right of the commission to force
( the city to act on street vacation was
discussed informally and expressions
from the commissioners and from at
torneys who were present indicated that
the consensus of opinion was that the
commission could not force the city
council to act on vacations. The ac-
tion of the council on the vacations is
one wholly for it to decide This is in
opposition to the opinion given by
Mayor Hoan of Milwaukee who de-
clared that in his opinion the order for
vacation from the Railroad Commission
carried with it the right to enforce ac-
ton on the part of the council.
There were no fire works at the hear
ing. A lot of time was given over by
the commission to the Kenosha case and
a score of witnesses and attorneys were
given chance to read their statements
into the minutes of the commission.
Considerable time was given to the dis
cussi5n of the Main street grade propo-
sition. The members of the commission
indicated that they would be willing to
consent to a further depression of
tracks at the bridge provided it could
be shown that such depression would
be to the satisfaction of the Balm
Wagon Company, the interested ship
per. 1t is thought that the Balm COM
pany will later on find it possible to
agree to the proposed change in grade.
With the possibility of the reopening
of the whole proceedings on the demand
of the railway company a lot of pep
was taken out of the hearing. This
proposition came up as a stone wall for
every suggestion raised in connection
with the plans to amend the order which
has already been handed down by the
commission In the evidence presented
relating to the demand for further sub
ways the witnesses offered nothing that
has not been proposed in this connec-
ton on former occasions. 1t was the
same old story Of the idea Of the prop
erty owners that their property would
be greatly damaged by the closing up
of the streets. Nothing was brought up
in regard to the cost of the elevation of
the tracks,
Several of the attorneys representing
individual property owners and groups
of property owners filed extended briefs
with the commission and there will be
considered in connection with other evi
dence presented.
The Kenosha officials who attended
the hearing held that there was little
reason to believe that Kenosha would
have her tracks elevated right away.