The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-13
NOW MADE. PUBLIC
VIEWS OF DALRYMPLE ON THE
 CHICAGO SITUATION.
GIssgOyv Expert Who Made an Investt- gatiOn of the Traction Systems of / the Windy City-AgainSt Mu-
 nleipaI Ownership.

Chicago. March 12.--The report of James Dalrymple, manager or the street car companies of Glasgow. which are operated under the direction or municipality. upon the local transpor- tation of Chicago, has at last been made public. NIT. Dalrymple visited Chicago immediately after the elec- ton of Mayor Dunne upon municipal ownership platform last spring to examine into the condition Of the street railways of this city and re- port upon the advieability and best method of operating them under mu- nleipal ownership.
 His report was sent to Mayor Dunne immediately after his return to Glasgow, but the Mayor has always refused to give it out for publication. Hc has been asked for 1t by the press and the City Council many times. but Fhas always refused 10 allow it to De seen by anybody He claimed that MT. Dairymple came to Chicago as his personal guest and that the report was therefore his personal property
 The Council finally obtained a copy from Alex Walker. deputy town clerk of Glasgow
 The report in effect is against the municipal operation of street car com panies in Chicago unless 1t has become impossible to reach an agreement with me companies HoW oPEtAtAAE AAhNH '-N the city. Touching upon present street car conditions in the city, the report says:
 T had not been many hours in your city before I fully realized why the citizens of Chicago were anxious that a change be made at once in the man agement of your street railways and 1t did not surprise me that you should have been elected mayor by such q large majority Ehen you had intimated to your people that if elected you would take immediate steps to have the street railways owned and operated by the municipality
 "Presuming that you are able at satisfactory figure to purchase the present franchises. there would un- doubtedly be a vary grave danger In your city attempting to operate what would be the largest street railway undertaking in the world without making a very radical change in the methods usually employed In carrying on municipal work by the cities of the United States
 Although the time may not yet have arrived when your city could take over the responsibility. should It be the desire of your citizens to do so. yet I. think an agreement might be made with that end in view
 The writer then suggests that an ef. fort be made to come to terms with the @companies now operating street car lines in the city. and suggests that if that Is not possible the only thing to do is to start new line as soon as the franchises under which the com panies are now operating expire.
 The report then declares that the present equipment of the companies should be sent to the scrap heap. The new operating company might be al- lowed fixed time in which to have the whole system placed in perfect condi- tion and afterwards have a franchise. say for twenty years. the city having the right to take possession at the end of five year periods. The report concludes as follows
 "I should be very sorry Indeed if you were forced to take such steps as starting new lines when the fran chises of the present expire. because speaking generally I should say from my knowledge of what 1t means to a municipal street railway system. that the municipalities of the United States are not yet quite ready to successfully undertake this work"