The Detroit times., 1910-06-29
COMMITTEE WILL
TAKE UP BAREFOOT
PROPOSITION
Meeting Will Be Held in Few Days
To Consider Experts Offer To
Defend His Appraisal of
D. U. R. Property.
Engineers Letters To Mayor Preced.
ing Tuesdays Conference Make
Hot Attack on Railway.

In accordance with a request sub
mitted by Mayor Breitmeyer, the com
mon council. Tuesday night, instructed
the franchise committee. headed by
Aid. HARPER, to confer with Engineer
Frederick 7. Bancroft and report back
70 the council az to the ACCESSIBILITY
OF retaining him to defend his APP
praisal Of the Detroit United Railway
properties on the terms named I'm his
latest proposal. Aid. HARPER will call
meeting OF the committee In a few
days to consider the matter.
While some OF the aldermen are dis
posed to knock" Mr. Bancroft and
his proposition, none has come fer
ward with a different plan. That the
mayor. In his anxiety to settle the
street car question before the primar-
les roll around. has finally turned TO
Bancroft. Is practically an admission
that the lattes holds the key to the
situation and that his help Is neces-
sary II the controversy is to be settled
this year. II remains to be seen
whether the council will aid the
mayor by disposing OF the questions
which Bancroft insists must be dis
posed OF before he will have anything
TO do with the matter. All he asks
Is that the city determine how 1t de-
sires to apply the appraisal, so that he
can proceed along definite lines.
The correspondence which passed
between the mayor and Mr.. Bancroft
preceding Tuesdays conference In the
executive office, when the engineer
submitted his proposition. Is highly
Illuminating with respect TO Bancroft s
attitude.
He makes II clear that he Is not
attempting 10 distate any policy, but
that. as citizen, he is trying to pro-
tect the city's interests against the
wary methods OF a very powerful cor
poration. Barcrofts first letter fol.
lows In part:
Mr.. Hutchins' letter, which you
fnclose, offers nothing new on the
subject, simply discusses general
alties indefinitely, prays for fur
Their protection TO continue his
particular field OF action so essen.
tial 10 the maintaining OF his
present foothold. He seems TO
know more about some OF my as
sistants than sounds well, or that
] know myself. apparently. The
company's methods OF tampering
with them may have met with re-
suits satisfactory TO himself, but
they certainly would shame a pir-
ate. never saw or heard OF the
company's appraisal. 1t is quite
immaterial what the company
thinks, as the city Is In control OF
the situation, and 40 not know
that | am called upon to nail
every lie the d. U. X. or their ad
vocates In the fifty make concern
ing the appraisal committees
work
With respect to Mr.. Hutchins' com.
Dlaint that millions" were omitted
rom the appraisal, the letter says:
The burden of Identification OF
property was on the company and
everything was included that they
could show up. therefore, If in
definite, unidentified millions"
have been omitted II is beyond
comprehension, since that which
they DID NOT OWN OR OP.
crate in the city was also given
to include In the appraisal. The
statement Is too vague.
The letter continues:
Mr. Hutchins' statement that
this company will abide by the
decision of his board of arbitra-
ton Is meaningless and purpose
less in view of the fact that he
does not commit himself to any
application OF the prospective de-
cision. In the first place. II must
be established just what Is to be
the meaning Of the word value"
Certainly the city will not become
party to cost" of replacement
or reproduction" schemes, nor
can II be fixed as going con-
Germ" on its physical items. The
company is organized under the
act of 1867. and Is not operated
like the steam railroads, and has
not a continuous life. Further
more, the one condition which
brought about this street car sub
ject Is the fact that the company
is operating under a term fran
chise, which. on a majority of its
system, has expired. Under the
circumstances this valuation now
cannot be established as a going
concern, its lease having expired.
This fortunately puts the city in a
position at last to dictate what
future disposition shall be made
of this property and Just how
much Of its future Vaccinations
Il chooses to be burdened with.
Certainly no cost of replace
mont should be considered as
basis for rate-making or for
market value. and this throws in
TO the matter elements Of analysis
that cannot be ignored, and that
must be disposed of before IL Is
possible to proceed. When this
has been accomplished. II would
be necessary for the city to de-
eide what part Of this property re-
naming in company's title 1t may
choose to acquire. or to use as a
basis for a rental plan, or for the
renewal of franchise rights. sub
ject to perpetual elimination of
any past title which the company
possessed In certain portions OF
this property, which obviously the
CITY should not recreate by re-
newal Of the lease.
As you inform me. the situation
Is as follows:
You will see that the appraisal
committee balances are paid at
once.
Won ora through with the COM