The Detroit times., 1909-12-13
BROOKS AssA|Ls
MAYORS FIFTY
Worked in Secret, He Says After
Agreeing To Full and Open
Discussion, ~

IF can find any man who has
been directly or indirectly connected
with the appraisal of our property
conducted by Engineer Bancroft for
the committee OF fifty, you can de-
pend on 1t that will ask him about
II" %
That is the answer of General Man
ager +. W. Brooks. OF the Detroit
United railway. to the charge. sup
ported by affidavits. which Frederick
I. Bancroft makes that his experts
have been questioned by ID. u. Il.
men. their figures asked and advice
given them not to sign the Bancroft
appraisal Mr.. Brooks neither denies
nor affirms the overtures alleged to
have been made to Barcrofts men;
he makes IL plain why the ID. L.. H.
should wish TO know what reports had
been secretly made about its prop
erty.
I'VE have right to know what has
been appraised and who appraised
II" remarked General Manager Brooks
Saturday. Does anyone know who
Barcroft's men were? Does anyone
know how they arrived at ...eir con-
illusions? | know only OF four or five
OF them; he says that he had 20 or
30"
The manager OF the d. IT, r. feels
that he and his company have had
the worst OF IL all along in the taking
OF the Bancroft appraisal He showed
newspaper men Saturday huge vol
umes Of detailed information which,
he stated. had been furnished to Bar
croft from day to day, as fast as 1t
was completed II is the fact that
the work of Bancroft was conducted
I'm secrecy and the final results sprung
without giving the ID. u. K. opportun-
ity TO first combat the findings that
gives ground to the charge of unfair
treatment.
Above Board Hearing Promised.
when the committee OF fifty be-
gan its work, the officials OF this com
pany met the executive committee
and IL was agreed that there should
be a. full, open and above-board hear
ing" states Brooks. ITO the end that
the public should be fully Informed
as to actual conditions. 1t was agreed
that our records should be absolutely
open to inspection.
1--WE employed a force OF 100 men
under competent engineers, and fur.
nished a complete inventory OF our
property. Other committees OF the
committee of fifty had access to our
books.
1--WE had understood that the pres
ent value of our property would be
determined after public hearings. de-
tails having been previously ascer-
tanned. For months we were told thpt
their appraiser had nothing 10 pre-
sent. But then he did give to the pub
lie, through the medium OF the press.
what purports to be an appraisal. This
In the face OF the understanding that
there should he full and open dis
cussion.
Our first thought was that there
had been some dark work. We did
not understand. We DO not stand for
dark work OF any kind. While the
data was being gathered, we had
awaited the time when we should have
a fair hearing. believing that the pub
lie would get the facts as they were
gathered.
FIFTY" Acted With Secrecy.
81 see no reason why the committee
OF fifty should have acted with this
secrecy. Our property is all here and
cannot get away 1t could all have
been checked up in six weeks or two
months from the inventories we fur
nished
II know that the figures furnished
BY Bancroft are not correct. That Is
not matter of supposition. AS TO how
he reached the conclusions, we are In
the dark We have been misled as to
the purposes Of the committee of fifty
Asked as to the alleged leaks of in
formation to the d. L. r.. Manager
Brooks replied: Some OF the apprais-
ers did not understand that they were
here to do sleuth work. They thought.
as we did, that this was to be an open
investigation. So they discussed our
figures and their own.
Il imagine that the common council
will pursue a different policy and give
hearings at which we can show our
facts
II would say to any man connected
with the appraisal made by Bancroft
that would advise him not TO sign
his Eame to the figures that have been
given out.
LET the common council do its
work public and openly. If we have
failed to ask any questions or give
any advice. we will do II then"
This statement OF Mr. Brooks, while
not answering directly the charges OF
Bancroft, shows a frame OF mind on
the part OF the d. u. r. management
which might easily have been miscon-
strued II is pointed out by some d.