The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-09-11
z. G. Simmons Declares Re.
nOsha Must 'Pay Fiddler"
If 1t Expects Transpor-
tatiOn Service.
FAVORs GUARANTEE PLAN
Manufacturer Shows How City Could
Afford TO Try Out go Guarantee At
Speech At c. of G. Meeting Tuesday
Push Fight For Franchise.

owe can't have street car system
adequate to meet the growing needs of
Kenosha unless we pay the fiddler. We
cannot expect to have the right kind
of transportation service without ex-
pecting to pay for it. Make the rail.
way business profitable, cease to OBJ
struct their operations, give them a
square deal and chance to make q
reasonable return on their investment
and the transportation problem viii be
solved and solved for good"
This was the message brought Tues
day evening by z. G. Simmons to the
thirty "live wire" members of the
Kenosha Chamber of Commerce who
attended the dinner and meeting held
in the Pompeian Room at the Elks
Club, starting at six-thirty O'Clock.
He declared in favor of the six per
cent guarantee plan, which he said,
would give the city a chance to try
out the roads and then if they liked
the business buy the holdings of the
company without any or risk. Fol
loving BIN Maxsf& wiz 5 eral
other members of the Cn-1nber of Com.
merce spoke in favor of the same plan
and the body voted unanimously to go
to the City Council meeting on Mon
day evening and push the movement
to permit the street car company to
secure franchise to operate the inter
urban cars on the streets of the city.
It was stated that this franchise ordi-
nance would be presented at the Mon
day night meetingsof the City Council.
No Risk In Guarantee.
CT cant see any risk that the city
would take in guaranteeing the trans
portation company six per cent on the
investment" said Mr.. Simmons ,"and
more than that, it would not require
that we utilize our borrowing credit
which we will need to carry on the
other needs of the growing city" He
pointed out that the street car com
panies had been thwarted at every turn
and that they could not be expected
to throw more money into a losing
venture. He held out the hope that
with little cooperation the lines
could be made paying proposition and
that the transportation problem would
then be solved and extensions would
be pushed Immediately. He declared
that a contract could be so drawn
as to safeguard every interest of the
city and at the same time guaran-
tee the transportation company a rea-
sonable income on their capital.
Plan for City Beautiful
In dealing with the problem, Mr..
Simmons digressed from the theme Of
transportation to give his ideas of
project for development of the business
end of Kenosha by making beautiful
municipal center in the tract between
Chicago street and the Northwestern
lines and between Market and Wiscon-
sin. He urged that with the building
of the new county building this tract
starting with the Elks Club should be
developed so as to give Kenosha real
civic center. In connection with this
he urged that other improvements
should be carried on such as track
elevation and widening of certain
streets so as to open the way for Ke-
nosha to become beautiful city.
In regard to the Simmons comany,
the speaker declared that the company
in addition to buying plants in other
cities had this year added FIVE new
businesses to its plant in Kenosha and
that each of them had promising
future. He said that the company
had in its scheme number of other
projects which would bring the num-
Der of employees of the company to
between five and six thousand workmen
In conclusion Mr. Simmons urged that
the people of Kenosha must have
LOYALTY that transcends individual
comfort and even touches the pocket
books of its city, before the progress
that all desired could be accomplished.
Others Favor Guarantee.
Other members of the Chamber of
Commerce who were introduced by
Chairman James Bailey, who was in