The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-07-19
bRE|TMEYER TO
FINANCE FIFTY
Will Put Up Cash Till Works Fin
ished, Then Negotiate With Ccun-
Gil To Purchase II.

AT a conference between Mayor
Breitmeyer and a number OF aldermen
In the mayors Office Saturday morn
ing. an agreement was reached as Il
the completion OF the street railway
Investigation by the mayors Commit
tee of Fifty.
Mayor Breitmeyer. and possibly
some OF the members Of the commit
tee. will finance the investigation until
the report Is completed. This will In
volve the expenditure OF another
$4,000 or $1,000, In addition to the
$4,000 which has already been ad
vanced by Breitmeyer. Secretary Re
maud and Frank w. Eddy. chairman OF
the committee.
When the report OF the fifty" Is
complete, II will be delivered to the
mayor, who will negotiate with the
franchises and ways and means com.
mittees of the council for its purchase
by the city at cost This course is
made necessary by the supreme court
decision that the council cannot ap.
propriate money directly for the ex
penses OF the Committee of Fifty or
delegate it's power OF making investi-
CATION.
along az il nothing had happened"
said the mayor cheerfully. after the
conference. Il will see that the bills
are met. Possibly some members OF
the committee may assist. But there
will be no talk OF passing the nat
until the council has said what 1t
will do with the report, expect that
u will be accepted"
A complete change in the program
hastily adopted whep the supreme
courts decision was first announced
has been made. The council will re-
ceive message from the mayor. Tues
day night, reviewing the history OF the
Committee of Fifty and the supreme
court decision. Then his communica a.
ton will be referred TO the franchise
committee. which will be empowered
TO make an investigation of the street
railway question
I'VE shall get any information
which we may require stated Aid.
John HARPER, chairman OF the fran
chise committee. IF the report OF the
Committee of Fifty is all that we
need we shall purchase that only. But
If We find that more information Is
needed, we shall get 1t from any source
that may be available
The agreement does not bind the
council TO purchase the report OF the
Committee OF Fifty. 1t was the sense
OF the aldermen assembled that there
is a moral liability to accept and pay
for the report since the council orig
inally approved Of the appropriation
for the committees expenses, which
Appropriation has been knocked out
by the court.
The plan agreed upon Is believed To
be proof against any further litigation
started by the Detroit Federation Of
Labor.
Among those present at the confer
once were the mayor, Controller Dore-
mus, Corporation Counsel Hally. Presi-
dent link, OF the common council:
Chairman Gilman, OF the ways and
means committee; Chairman Harp
fer. Of the franchise committee. and
Aid. Korte. Freiwald and Tossy.
Hally informed the other city Of
ficials that, as he reads the supreme
court decision, the council may pur-
chase information regarding this or
any other question wherever II may
find It, He approved Of the plan pro-
posed.
Aid. Gilman was inclined to insist
very strongly on the non-recognition
OF the mayors committee. He is
placed in a very influential position in
the matter from the fact that he -
chairman OF the committee which
must approve Of the payment OF any
money for the report.
1.-The only thing the franchise COM
mittee has to do Is to be sure that
IL 10 not advising the buying OF a gold
brick" he cautioned. The commit
tee will be called upon TO defend It's
recommendations upon the floor of the
council. After you look around. you
find some individual who can furnish
more Information for less money"
These people have got to show
us that they have something that is
valuable" asserted Aid. Tossy. re-
ferring to the report CT the fifty"
The other aldermen present took a
rather different view, apparently feel
ing that the acceptance OF the report
will be a perfunctory matter.
In the meantime. the work OF En-
gineer Bancroft and others connected
with the committee Ia going on, re-