The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-02-17
D. j. R. OFFICIALS
AND COMMITTEE
CONFER TODAY
RAILWAYS ATTITUDE TOWARD
SETTLING TRACTION PROBLEM
WILL BE REVEALED MAhON
BOOSTS CITY OWNERSHIP.

Exactly what the position OF the
d. IT, r. is with regard 10 the work or
the Committee Of 90 will be best
known after the conference scheduled
for Wednesday afternoon in the offices
of the committee. j. c. Hutchins and
F. W. Brooks, OF the ID. L.. r.. have
Deen invited by the conference com
mittee OF the 30 to meet the cost OF
service. extensions and appraisalS sub
committees.
There has been for some time q
friendly understanding between the OF
ficers of the ID. L.. X. and the infuen-
iial men on the Committee of 90 that
all reasonable requests of the latter
shall be accepted TO and this confer
ence is merely To settle upon details.
Il feel that the custody OF the in
terests | represent is as much in the
hands of the citizens of Detroit as in
my own
This statement by President Hutch
ms Of the ID. L. K. in his letter TO
Chairman NJ. j. Murphy, of the con
ference committee. Indicates the
peaceseeking attitude OF the street
railway company.
w. ID. Mahon made an interesting
argument in favor of municipal owner
ship TO Il small audience. Tuesday
evening. Few citizens had cared TO
pillow through the snow TO attend the
committee meeting on that subject in
the Ford building, and there was not
even quorum of the committee ID. Nj.
Ireland and Frank Kennedy being the
only other members present
So convincingly did Mahon lay down
his arguments that it was decided TO
temporarily sub-divide the committee
in two. one section to look into all the
possibilities of actually effecting mu-
nicipal ownership at once In Detroit
and the other, headed by Mahon, TO
digest and report on the National Civic
Federation's publications on municipal
ownership of utilities.
Mahon was asked at the start II mu-
nicipal ownership would not tend to
make a political machine.
IF you can produce by municipal
ownership any worse conditions that
now obtain, would like TO be shown
replied Mahon. They say the alder
men would appoint the motormen.
They do now in New York and other
cities and have their influence in De-
troit.
Municipal ownership is the best
means OF purifying politics by remov-
ing the cause OF corruption and graft
ing that goes on now.
Aside from supplying an adequate
service, a street railway system must
look to the payment of good wages to
employees and low fare rate toJpat
rons. To accomplish that there must
be no eye To profit or special interests;
no ear for appeals for dividends to
special individuals; no privileges or
monopoly grants to fiat capitalization
promoters; no encouragement to fren-
zied nanciers."
Mahon described the municipal con-
dtions existing in foreign cities, cit
ing Glasgow as an example where the
employees used TO get % shillings for
107 hours work per week and now get
81 shillings for "a hours work. although
service has been improved and fares
lowered. A living wage for the en-
ploye. permanent employment and ar
bitration OF differences constituted the
policy there. he said.
A meeting Of the statistics commit.
tee was also held. The members OF
this committee are collecting all kinds
OF data from every portion OF the
country, and some OF their findings are
of interest. Detroit has a low rate OF
accidental deaths and injuries. ii has
been found. Chicago has about three
times as many passengers per car
mile. Service charts OF other cities
show that there is a greater congestion
here during the hours OF cheap tickets
Than aviste elsewhere at similar hours