The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-06-14
fifty ORDINANCE
NOT Acceptable
To D. j. R.
Hutchins Approves Cardinal Prinoi-
pie, But Declares Measure, With
Bancroft Appraisal a. Basis, Would
Be Unfair To Company.
Says Company Is Averse TO Entering
Into Long Term Contract Because Of
Rapidly Changing Conditions. 1

President Jere c. Hutchins, of the
Detroit United railway. submitted to
Mayor Breitmeyer, Monday afternoon.
a reply to the mayors open letter OF
a week ago. asking IL the company
would accept the Webster franchise.
with the Bancroft valuation written
In. AS expected, Mr.. Hutchins' an
swer Is an emphatic negative. and at
great length he explains just why the
ordinance 10 not acceptable to the ID.
u. X. on those terms The cardinal
principle of the ordinance is approved.
but Mr.. Hutchins reiterates q state
ment made by General Manager
Brooks several weeks ago, during the
negotiations with the motormen and
conductors on the wage question, that
the company Is averse to entering in
to any long term contract. owing TO
rapidly changing conditions In the
city.
In Mr.. Hutchins opinion, there
should be no fixed term franchise at
all. Both the company and the city,
he contends, should have the right at
any time, when conditions have chang
ed. to appeal to some competent
tribunal to change the rate Of fare In
accordance with the changed condi-
lions.
There are only two questions to be
solved, In Mr.. Hutchins' opinion
These he states as follows: Who
shall operate the street car system.
and how shall 1t be operated?" In
this connection he says:
1t goes without saying that we
desire to continue the operation
of the system IL 1t can be done on
reasonable terms and conditions.
II is equally true that the public
desires and has right to have tho
best terms and conditions possible
under which the system Is to be
operated. On these two questions
the Detroit United Railway stands
ready at all times to meet the peo-
|, pie or their representatives In Ell
al forts to solve these questions
. fairly for both parties.
The average rate of Fare now
\ charged on any OF the lines In this
city are below those In effect else
where In the world. And 50 Il
would seem, in fact we all know,
that the immediate necessity which
, confronts us all In this rapidly
, growing city Is the extension OF
railway lines into those portions
OF the city not now served, and
, the construction of such tracks
and loops as will sensibly relieve
much OF the present congestion or
traffic In this particular we are
now adding cars and power and
are arranging for the construction
of some trackage involving an ex-
penditure exceeding one and one
half millions OF dollars, which
| sum or a larger amount we hope
to provide this year.
but I wish again to emphasize :
the fact that no step toward an
entire readjustment can be intel
ligently taken until the fair value
OF cur property Is ascertained
and made known TO the public,
together with information as to
, what IL costs under economical
management to carry passengers.
And to that end i most earnestly
hope that means will be found to
complete the patriotic work or
your committee OF fifty"
With reference to the Bancroft ap-
praisal. Mr.. Hutchins declares that
the company did all in its power to
! cooperate with the committee of fifty
and Engineer Bancroft In arriving AT
fair valuation OF its properties, and
/, although inquiries were made from
, time to time as TO what was being
done with the data furnished, tho
company, he says, received nothing
but promises that II would be given
/. a hearing at the proper time. That
time, however, never came. The let
ter continues:
From as careful an examination
. as we have been able to make OF
> this so-called appraisal we are :
able to state that II has omitted
bodily from consideration at all +
!, millions of dollars of our property
used I'm the city service. IL gives
= no method OF procedure, nor does
= = II furnish any means whatever OF
ascertaining how the appraise-
= ment was made. nor does IL give
the reports OF his assistants from
which TO check up Mr.. Barcroft's
own conclusions. Neither does IL
u point cut any errors or mistakes
OF our own appraisal. Ali We do
know is that the total stated by
Mr.. Bancroft Is a gross underval-
4 uation Of our property, and, II the
hoard OF directors OF the Detroit
United railway should accept IL
; as basis OF an ordinance, they
! would betray the trust imposed
8 upon them. am, therefore,
I Obliged to say that for these rea-
I sons among many others neither
J the Bancroft figures nor an or
< dinance with those figures written
) into IL can be accepted.
e Mr.. Bancroft has admitted he re-
ceiyed considerable data from the ID.
Il. r.. but he has explained that he
did not want data furnished In this
way. What he tried to secure from
. the outset. he declares, was an op-
portunity TO secure this data by
: personal inspection OF the companys
Q books and records, which, he has re-
q freatedly stated, was denied
salf-dumninn barge which has