The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-12-12
OPPOSITION TO MAYORS
FRANCHISE PEEVES HIM
Flies Into Fury When Times
Seeks Information Asked
BY Reader.

Mayor Thompson Is growing peev
ish over the continued opposition OF
The Times and numerous citizens tc
his proposed street car franchise. He
became greatly excited, Monday morn
ing. when Times reporter visited his
3fice, in quest OF information desired
sy Times reader, information which
he reader says he had been unable
% get from his honor and which the
Detroit United railway refuses to give
,ut directly. This particular visit to
he mayor was prompted by the fol
owing letter 10 The Times:
| have asked everyone | know
and written 10 others, the mayor
included, and still cannot get the
most important information,
namely: positive figures, which
must come from the D. u. r., as 8
TO the cost OF paving and track
foundations.
Will you not publish this so
that Il can be given consideration
with this franchise? Or publish
the refusal OF the mayor and the
ID. U. r. This information is
known, and there must be some
reason detrimental to the fran
chise for not publishing 1t.
The money has b>en spent
the d. ". r. will claim a fancy
price-but let's hear 1t now when
the franchise is being considered.
Surely there can be no proper
reason for not publishing 1t on
their part Yours truly,
A. J. ASSESSOR.
That's the same information z. A.
Burch and Bancroft we're after" said
the mayor. with some show OF anger,
"and you can't get me into any argu-
ment along those lines. What the
company has spent on track founda-
tons and paving In the past has moth
ing to do with the main question"
DO you mean TO say the people are
not entitled TO know how much the
company is spending for the Hamil-
ton-blvd. extension, for example?" the
mayor was asked.
II don't care what the company is
spending for that work" the mayor
returned. II don't care II they're
paving IL with gold dollars, for II has
got nothing TO do with the case. All
that work is going to be appraised
next year and the value fixed by the
appraisers will stand. II doesn't make
any difference what the company is
paving for that work or any other
work in the past. The only thing that
concerns us is the value the appraisers
are going TO put upon It,"
But will not the cost OF that work
have an important bearing on the
work to be done in the future, which
the city must pay for, plus 10 per cent
for the use Of tools and equipment,
If the company does the work."
Now, I'm not going TO argue this
matter with you. I've answered your
question a dozen times and that's the
only answer you'll get. All you are
looking for Is knocks anyway. Your
paper hasn't made single sugges-
ton relative to the ordinance"
Were not here TO argue. We're
here TO get information for the benefit
of our readers, on the strength OF
YOUR statement, at the time you made
YOUR plan public. that the public
would be given all the information IL
desired concerning that plan. One of
our readers has asked for information
concerning the cost OF paving be.
tween the tracks and we think he is
entitled to an answer"
After indulging In another TRADE
against The Times, the mayor pro
duced an article that appeared in his
personal organ several weeks ago,
giving number of figures as TO the
cost of paving which-his honor said
The Times might publish as coming
from the ID. U. r. They related 10
+, the cost OF track work done this year,
J he said. and he stated that he had OBJ
iained them from the company. From
these hgures IL appeared that the cost
Of concrete track foundation was So
6i7.2l per mile for single track con.