The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-08-11
Gas & Electric Company
Offers Reduction of Ten
Cents a Thousand.
FOR NEXT SIX MONTHS
Offer Made with Stipulation
No Commission Hearing Will
Be Asked iMs4hat Period.

Inc Wisconsin LAS G EIectflc cOlh-
pany has made a voluntary offer 70
Mayor Joachim and the officials of ke-
nosha to reduce the price of gas sup
piled to Kenosha in the amount OF l0
cents per thousand cubic feet, the new
rate to become effective September LIST.
The formal offer for a reduction in the
rate was presented to Mayor Joachim
this morning with the understanding
that it is to be submitted to the COM
mon council at the next regular meet
ing. The reduction is made with the
stipulation that the city will make no
appeal to the Wisconsin railway COM
mission for a readjustment of the gas
rate in the city for period Of six
months and that the rate made with
the reduction remain in effect for at
least that period of time. The action
in offering this reduced rate to Keno
sha follows a similar offer made to
the CITY officials of Racine.
Racine Votes to Accept.
The Racine city council at meeting
held on Tuesday evening voted to ac-
cept the reduction offered by the COM
pany with the understanding that it
would remain in effect for the six
months period. 1t was admitted that
the rate paid by Racine and Kenosha
would still be considerably higher than
the rate charged in Milwaukee and
other cities Of the state, but the Ra-
cine council held that half loaf was
better than none and that it would be
L J,,o
than to start battle befo. e the COM
mission. 1t was held that a fight be-
| fore the commission would continue
over long period of time and that in
the end the reduction in the rate would
| be no larger than had been offered by
the company. AS the supply from RAJ
cine to Kenosha is identical with the
gas sold to Racine, it is believed that
any action taken for one city would
i be duplicatedCin the other.
Company Shows Up Figures.
The movement for the reduction of
the price charged for gas was taken up
! by Mayor James Lunt in Racine some
weeks ago and the officials of the com
pany and the OFFICIALS of Racine have
held many conferences in regard to
! the matter. These resulted in the
offer of the 10 cents a thousand reduc-
| ion. The company said that it would
mean an annual saving to gas con-
| sumers in Racine of $1,000 and that
the saving to the Kenosha consumers
would be in the neihgborhood of about
100000. 1t was declared by. the com
/ 6o4 4 he inn CT Al 10
back to the rates made in 1914 for the
| two cities. 1t was asserted that the
cost of coal was now 114@o Of the cost
/ in 1914 and that the cost of labor still
remained very largely in excess of the
wages paid in the pre-war period.
| Officials of the company urged that
the voluntary reduction be accepted
holding that battle before the COM
mission would cost all parties con
siderable amount and that the reduced
rates would be delayed for many
months.
| Nearly every home in Kenosha will
be affected by the proposed reduction
in the price of the gas and it is GER
| tain that most of the people will be
favorable to the council giving the
suggestion of the company every pos
sible investigation. Officials who were
interviewed today did not desire to
commit themselves and they wanted to
wait until after they had studied the
proposition carefully. The Kenosha
council has already ordered an appeal
| to the commission for reduced public
utility rates and this appeal might be
withdrawn if a voluntary reduction is
made. Officials believed that the re-
duction should cover both electric serv-
ice as well as the gas.