The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-03-10
'ITI OWNERSHIP
lis DISCUSSED
PRO AND CON
ot>IcAoo TRACTION MAoNATE
nArTLEs AGAINST r. r. INGRAM
AND q. W. MooaE-MAyoR AIRS
VIEWS.

Mayor Breitmeyer. for the first time
< Glncs his election. gave his views. re-
\ Garding street railway settlement In
{ lhe meeting OF Detroit Post. @. A. r.,
x Monday evening. He came from the
city hai1, where he he'd been listen
+ ing 20 addresses on municipal owner
ohip, to talk To the veterans. Before
his speech was ended. the mayor had
got into lively wrangle with some
municipal ownership advocates among
the old soldiers.
III the people OF Detroit say they
want municipal ownership. there is no
man In the city who will try more
earnestly % &xing II ABOUT than win. )"
said the mayer
He spoke first OF the obstacles TO
city ownership OF car lines. then laid
down his own plan, which would pro-
vide for the purchase Of the lines as
fast as the franchises expire, payment
Of them TO be made by the issue OF
honda to be subscribed for among the
people OF Detroit and secured by a
2O-year eight-tickets-fora-Qu Sc
curity franchise.
In lieu Of this. the mayor reverted
10 his old plan OF a working agree
ment, indefinite as TO time, by which
the road should retain sufficient
money to keep It's service up and al
low for depreciation, and then pay
over all profits except per cent ON
actual investment TO the city treas
ury, to be used In building up sink
ing fund for the eventual purchase OF
the lines
McvIcar objects to Mayors Plan.
John Mcvicar and Alex Blaine OBJ
tected to the mayors plans as too In
DEFINITE and warm debate ensued.
Mcvicar declared that no agreement
BY which the lines would remain in
private hands would stop corruption.
One OF the arguments made by the
mayor against municipal ownership
under the Cleveland plan was that he
did not believe the bonds would sell
outside the city except on franchise
security more liberal TO the bond-hold-
ers than the citizens would care to
give. He declared himself as unwill-
Ing to grant a franchise as security
for bonds more liberal than the city
would not grant to the ID. u. K. and
thus gamble the city's future against
the success of q municipal ownership
\ experiment
The Committee OF SO session in the
council chamber. which the mayor
nrst attended, drew a goodly crowd
OF auditors. Chairman Eddy and Sec
rotary Renaud had SO arranged II that
there were three advocates OF NUM-
cfpal ownership and three opponents
Z OF that plan. The gallery showed its
sympathy with municipal ownership
but attempts to ask questions were
sternly repressed.
Isaac NJ Payne spoke first in favor
OF municipal ownership. Charles V.
Weston, Of the South Side Elevated
railroad. Of Chicago. was the next
speaker and he portrayed the trans
portation business as being In sad
state. wherein the urban roads must
ret a reimbursement OF fares upward
within few years or face bankruptcy.
This fear he based on the fact that re-
ceipts per passenger per mile have
\ decreased as the hauls grew longer.
Weston q Pessimist.
The ride Is not the proper unit for
consideration" he declared, and quot
ed statistics to show that the uniform
fare had failed In Germany and given
way to the zone system, SO that re-
ceipts are higher there per passenger
mile. although half as much per ride.
as In the United States. In New
York. he said, the electric railways
could no longer operate at a profit,
even at a fair capitalization, on ac-
count OF the length OF hauls. His own
road was stated to be undercapitalized
and yet to lay but 2.27 per cent, the
cost per passenger per mile being but
B $40 cent. Boston lines were steadily
growing less profitable as extensions
were made and the year when divi-
I dends would cease could be calculated.
Transportation OF people In large
cities he considered a natural monop-
oily. and business in which municip-
n ownership would be within the
realm OF speculation and experiment.
n Westons suggestion OF settlement
Was one where the rate OF fare was
based on the haul. and where. as In
4 Chicago. the city gets large share
Of the profits over reasonable inter
est on the capital honestly involved.
y. y. Ingram spoke next, declaring
that people do not get bargains In ex-
psr1ence and that the go years war;
In street railway matters had given
/. unpleasant experiences but valuable
ones. although the fight had been in
politics most OF the time and had