The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-10-05
keep TAB ON STREET LIGHTS
Committee Instructed to Ask People to
Report Outage and to Hire Automo-
bile to Make Night Trips to See
How Well Lights Are Trimmed

The State Railroad Commission is to
decide whether or not Kenosha is pay
ing five cents a thousand too much for
its gas supply. The city council at it's
meeting on Monday evening voted
unanimously to file formal complaint
with the commission demanding a full
examination into the rates charged for
this utility in Kenosha on the claim
that Kenosha is being Disseminated
against, as the company charges five
cents thousand more in Kenosha for
the same gas, made IN the same plant,
as is sold to the people Of Racine.
The fight for the Fextra nickel'' has
been on in Kenosha for more than
year and half and several informal
suggestions have been made to the
commission that the people of Kenosha
believed that they were being discrim-
mated against. AT one time the coun-
Gil directed commission investigation
but it, mixed up the gas question with
an indefinite claim that electric rates
were higher than they should be in the
city and as a result the city attorney
was not able to find any evidence to
support the contention and the whole
thing was dropped.
Several conferences were held with
the officials of the company seeking a
reduction in the gas rate. At these
conferences the company insisted on
coupling reduction in gas rates with
jitney regulation or something else and
as result the old rate remains in
force. The company declares that it
will be able to show the commission
that the Kenosha rate is not discrim-
inatory. IF it can, this will end the
controversy. City Attorney Slater will
file the formal complaint with the com
mission within fortnight and it is
expected that hearing will be held in
the early winter. Even with all pos
sible speed it will be the first of the
new year before any decision is handed
down in the matter.
Street Lights Under Fire.
The city street lighting system was
the cause of much discussion on the
part of the council on Monday night.
Members Of the council alleged that
the lights were giving imperfect SER
vice, that outage was being about half
reported and that the company was not
keeping the globes and the lights in
condition to make it possible for the
lights to give the service demanded
pany and the city. The city clerk was
instructed to place formal notice in
the paper asking the people of the city
to make reports Of failures Of the cleo
trio company to give proper service
with the street lights and the commit
tee was instructed to use the automo-
biies and Cords of the city to make
nightly inspections in order that thew
might answer intelligently objections
to the manner in which the lights are
being maintained The committee was
directed to inform the company that
bills would be held up if the city streets
were not furnished better light.
The city attorney was also instructed
to tell the company that it must put
conduits under Pomeroy street at once.
1t is expected that this order will bring
an appeal to the commission on the
part of the company and that the com
mission will in this manner be called
upon to decide as to the reasonableness
of the order of the council in regard
to conduits on this street. Many of the
public service corporations are inter
ested in this decision and it is expected
that they will pool interests to get an
early decision in the matter.