The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-05-30

The conference held at the City Hall
on Tuesday afternoon for the purpose
of considering the street railway mud
die, was barren Of results.
No compromise to get the cars start
ed and no suggestion for future settle
ment came out during the afternoon,
the officials of the company simply
telling the members Of the Transports
tion committee and officials of the
Chamber of Commerce and Retailers
Association that it was not going to
resume the operation of cars in Keno
sha until it had assurance that the city
would cooperate with it and make
it possible for the company to earn
operating expenses
Vice President r. B. Way came
down to attend the conference and the
company was also represented by the
local manager, d. f. Calendar of Ra-
cine, who did most of the talking.
The officials of the company showed
a decided lack of interest as to the
future of the property in Kenosha.
They talked saleatoath city and sale
to private individuals, but showed no
interest in the suggestion that they sur
render rights to the handling of gas and
electricity in Kenosha along with the
abandoning of the railway property.
That the company is planning for a
fight was shown by the fact that on
Tuesday it fled with the city clerk
formal surrender of the franchise
granted it by the city and took instead
an indeterminate permit from the rail
with the provisions of the Wisconsin
statutes and the company is now more
directly under the supervision of the
railroad commission than ever before.
The conference on Tuesday afternoon
brought absolutely nothing. 1t show
ed clearly that the council was not in
sympathy with the company and that
the company had no interest in the
forward movement of Kenosha more
than its hope that it could in some man
rer collect dividends on its property.
Suggestions of extensions of the line
were met with the answer "We have
no money to extend them" Demands
for more rapid and otherwise improv-
ed service brought the answer "Who
is going to pay for it,"
No arrangements were made for
second conference, but it is probable
that the city will now make an APP
peal to the railroad commission and
possibly to the director of railways
at Washington.
The formal surrender of the fran
chise which the company filed with the
city clerk, was verified in the name of
President James ID. Mortimer and
F Secretary Frank J. Boehm. 1t said:
To CITY of Kenosha and
Railroad Commission Of Wisconsin;
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE, That the
Wisconsin Gas and Electric Company,
successor to the Kenosha Electric Rail
way Company and the owner of sys-
tenn of electric street railway in the
City of Kenosha, constructed, main
tanned and operated, pursuant to q GER
tain franchise, license and permit for
such purpose granted to the Kenosha
Electric Railway Company, its success
sors and assigns, and evidenced by a
certain ordinance of said city of Keno
sha passed June 2. 1902 and ordinances
amendatory thereof or supplementary
thereto, does hereby make the declara-
ton provided for by Section 1897 t-3
of the Wisconsin Statutes, and does
hereby surrender, pursuant to said sec
tion, such license, permit and fran
chise appertaining to the property of
said street railway system and derived
from. the City of Kenosha, and, in lieu
thereof it accepts the indeterminate
permit provided for by Sections 1871
to 1797-12, Inclusive, of the Wisconsin
Statutes