The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-08-16
CO. SAYS DISCONTINUE"
R. R. Commission Urges Attorneys to
Withdraw Question of Jurisdiction
And Submit Issue on Question Of
insufficient Service.

Attorneys representing the city and
nearly hundred property owners in
the city started today to prepare for a
finish fight to retain the beating sys-
tenn operated by the Wisconsin Gas &
Electric Company regardless of the fact
that the company on Monday filed
formal notice with the Wisconsin Rail
way Commission that the service had
been discontinued. Two telephone mes
sages reached Kenosha late Monday
afternoon. One of them declared that
the company was going to discon-
tinueo the service The other later in
the afternoon stated that the company
had filed a notice that it chad dis
continued" the heating service in the
city. City Attorney John c. Slater re-
ceived the first message from Harold
E. Geisse, secretary of the commission
in which it was stated that the COM
pany intended to discontinue the service
regardless of the pending action before
the commission. The second message
from the secretary was to Attorney A.
f. Buckmaster, a representative Of the
Property Owners Committee. The
secretary of the commission declared to
Mr.. Buckmaster that the question of
jurisdiction had caused some delay in
the rendering of decision in the case.
He suggested that the protesting prop
erty owners withdraw this feature of
their petition and file a counter petit
ton demanding improvement of the
service with the understanding that
this petition would bring the matter
clearly within the jurisdiction of the
commission, Manager George Fl. Cook,
Of the Wisconsin Gas & Electric Com
pany had nothing OF say Gin the mat
ter. II do not know one thing about
what action may have been taken and
so can t discuss it,' he said. FFThis
matter is being handled by the attor-
neys for the company in Milwaukee
and I have not been advised in any
way of the filing of this notice or any
other steps which may have been tax
en-. -
eve are not going to relieve the
commission of deciding whether or not
it has jurisdiction in this NATTER de-
clared Attorney Buckmaster. "We
have already filed a counter petition in
which we have demanded better service
from the company in the heating util-
ity. Mr. Geisse declared that changes
in the commission had allowed this
matter to be DELAYED and that he had
forgotten that such a petition had been
filed. IF the company seeks to dis
continue this service on such a no
tice, we will promptly seek an injunc-
tion against it pending a formal and
final decision by the commission or by
the courts.
The attorneys are not ablt to figure
out by just what reasoning the com
pany can find way to discontine the
service while the matter is pending be-
fore the commission. No formal state
ment has been made to the interested
pany other than that contained in the
formal notice to the commission. Prop
erty owners interested have already
raised fund for defense against be-
ing left without heat during the win
ter coming on and the city council by
formal action has instructed Attorney
John G. Slater to fight for the inter
ests oe the city In the matter. The at
torrevs of the company have admitted
that they might subject the company
to suits for damages by the elimination
of the service but they declared that
they were ready to meet such suits
when they were filed. They did not
seem to think that the fact that the
comnsEy had made certain contracts
with the city to secure franchise for
the use of the streets was of any great
interest to them.
Many of the people who have depend
ed on the central heating company to
heat their houses have no provision for
other heating systems. A few of them
have built buildings without any
chance for the installation of such a
system. These people are facing a
very serious condition With cold
weather less than four months away it
will be impossible for them to secure
the construction of new heating sys-
TENS m their homes or other buildings
IL time to be ready for the cold wealth
er. One of the big problems rests with
the city. It is the heating of the Gil
bert NJ. Simmons Library, and the Cen
trail Engine house. Possibly the latter
| could be heated in some way from the
boilers in the city hail, but there is no