The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-01-30
President Finley of the
Northwestern is Not Over
Optimistic That Work
Can Be Done Now.
WILL AID MAIN STREET PLAN
Says Company Will BE Able to Find
Money to Pay It's Part if the City
Goes Ahead With the Work
Tracks on Chicago st. to Go.

w. Ell. Finley, President Of the
Chicago and Northwestern Railway
Company who came to Kenosha on
Tuesday afternoon and held confer
ence with the city officials over Keno
sha's Railway problems is not very OPP
timistic over the prospects Of track
elevation for Kenosha in the immediate
future.
He admitted frankly to the city off,
cials at the conference that the North
western company would be. interested
in the elevation of the tracks here and
that it was probably that a permit
would be forthcoming from the Fed
eral Railroad Administration but he
declared that after this permit was
issued there would still remain the bic
question of financing the project. He
asserted that this problem would be
one to be solved by the Northwestern
Railway Company as an individual un-
lit in the railroad administration and
he said that it would be very difficult
for this company to take from its
treasury the money necessary to carry
out the work. 1--WE haven It got the
money! was the frank statement of
the President of the Company.
He explained that Federal Admins
tration of the railways was not leav-r
ing any large sum of money in the
treasures Of the various utilities for
elevation Of other big improvements.
He said that if the Federal administra-
tion gave a permit for separation Of
grades in Kenosha that the financing
of it would have to be largely provided
for from the meagre treasury of the
company and that no appropriation could
be expected from the national treasury
until it was shown that the funds Of
the company were exhausted.
President Finley declared that were
the railways returned to the companies
in the near future that their might be
an excellent chance for the carrying
out Of the Kenosha Improvement.
The conference was attended by
Mayor Joachim, City Attorney Slater,
Aldermen Shearer, Sullivan, thinner
mann, Pabst, and Schroeder and former
Alderman Joseph G. Rhode, always
deeply interested in the elevation pro-
blem was there as an interested citi-
zen.
The discussions for the afternoon
were not limited to the elevation pro-
ject. The question Of Strengthening
Main street and the depressing the
tracks of the company near the Main
street bridge was discussed at great
length and President Finley declared
that his company was interested in the
project and that he believed that it
would be able to secure money from
the treasury of the company for fin
ancing the company's part in this ex-
penditure. He declared that before
he could give final answer he would
have to have estimates of the engineers
as to the cost Of the proposed improve
ment and the amount OF this cost to
be paid by the company.
There was every evidence of cor
dial feeling between the officers of the
Northwestern and the city and Mr..
Finley declared that the company
would be willing to cooperate in ev-
cry way possible with the officials Of
the city to the largest extent that the
limited funds of~the utility would per-
nit. There was one definite agreement
as a result of the conference and that
was a promise for the immediate =
removal of the old switch tracks on
Chicago street between Park and Mar
ket streets. President Finley gave the
assurance that this old track would
be taken out Immediately. =