The Detroit times., 1912-01-16
CONVINCING ANALYSIS
OF 12-YEAR FRANCHISE
tcontlnued from page one).


(Continued from page one).
tween himself and pay day. II they
mean a three-cent fare why don't they
ss66ssu be- three TIRE 81 Cents sn as a mat
ter OF fact 33 per cent Of all the pas
sengers carried now ride at SIS cents
either on three-cent lines or during
working mems hours, and TO them
there Is only the concession OF uni
versal transfer. which, IL the city so
notified, the company would be grant
cd without further concession upon
threat to cancel the freight express.
and merchandise privilege. raise the
rent, tax or other remedial measures.
Destination transfers should be In
sisted upon, as they are the only scien-
tifc method for economical city travel.
II would be well to leave the au-
thority for fixing routes and transfer
points with some competent city Of
fetal rather than with the company.
and know what they want and the com
pany is only interested financially In
the initial fares paid.
Section 8. The limiting OF the city
fare TO present city limits should not
he tolerated. Many people ride only a
few blocks but do not expect TO pay
lower fare than those who ride many
times that distance, citizen OF De-
troit should be able TO ride anywhere
in one general direction for one fare
no matter what the city limits are.
The short rides balance for the long
rides.
Section 8. II the present rate OF
growth or the city keeps UP. there
will be no main line OF the II. L. X.
for a large number OF its cars on runs
extended 1--WE miles beyond the pres
ent city llmits-ali such cars are in
'terurban cars under this ordinance and
by the terms thereof, passengers on
such cars inside the limits must pay
five cents IL Is no wide stretch OF
imagination to say that before 1920
half the cars on the Fort; ra Mioaig and
Jefferson lines will be fnterurban
under the terms OF the franchise.
Why allow heavy cars such as are
and must be necessarily used between
cities, to come into the city at all?
These cars ruin tracks and pavements;
they are not under proper brake con-
troll. they run by waiting passengers;
they are noise producers: they break
in on the city schedule, and upon ar
rival at the center OF the city, OBJ
struct blocks and blocks OF streets in
tcrfering with teaming and decreas-
ing land values on streets that are
thus changed TO switch yards to very
marked degree.
Yet the interurban companies main
tain suitable station buildings at the
city limits with porters TO aid feeble
people I'm the transfer OF baggage to
thu regular city cars.
Section Z. Relates to pavements
y
way companies. always advanced the
claim that the requirements that they
pay for the pavement Is relic OF the
days when the horses drawing the
cars wore out the pavement, and that
WITH the universal use OF electric pow
er such a tax is unfair. III we analyze
that matter a little, we find that while
pavement IS 5-10 feet wide would
be ample for team traffic. that. II there
r. double track street railway on
the street, to get the same room for
teams TO stand ut the curb and for
traffic 10, move, will require 80 S-lO
feet. The additional width OF paving
is only necessary because the street
oar line Is there. why then should not
the street car line pay for even more
OF the paving than II has been asked
in the past, and even at that pay
mefts for pavements have been always
In the nature OF n tax in lieu OF other
ne various ordinances or record. Fur
Their. the abutting occupants OF the
street pay taxes and assessments Tor
the pavemens, why should not the ten
ant OF the middle OF the street pay Its
portion? The slow moving vehicles
must get of the track when car APP
breaches so that the street car Is the
preferred user OF that portion of the
street covered by the pavement Tor
which IL is taxed
Under this section the commission
or OF public works has the exclusive
determination of the necessity for
pavement and foundation expenditures
IN connection with the street railway
While all other city expenditures go
through carefully checked channels
the board OF estimates, the city engl-
neer the board OF public works. the
council. etc. these expenditures are all
PIT In the hands of one man who has
thus the power to involve the city In
unguessable expenditures, expenditures
Shat may possibly lead the city TO
bankruptcy
Take the subject OF paving. paving
,.Iatf ton aVa1 Il To- 1af N.Ns.
from the II. T. X. standpoint. The
street railway company will not state
i'm detail what this paving. paving
foundation and track foundations cost
IN the first place 10 install nor what
the annual charges on these three
items amount to- nor what parts are
now requiring immediate replacement
There Is no logical, sane or honest
cason for the company not giving the
utmost publicity TO this information.
u Will be recalled that Michigan,
Grand River. Jefferson and other
streets lasted only few years. ON
the way 20 the state fair II will be re.
called, that Woodward ave. north OF
the railway to the city limits was put
Ago. and this summer the company
had TO do A large portion of IL over
again and IL In not In good shape. ON
the city's side these track foundations,
Iavements and pavement foundations
have already been paid for by the high
fare charged and by the remission OF
taxes. and are now 10 large extent
worn out
The wood ties have reached an age
where they Will have TO be replaced
due TO decay. and even In places where
the track foundation, paving and paw
ing foundation are fairly good. these
features would be destroyed or wasted
retting the new ties In.
The city has To not only pay Tor
these three items. but every time the
track requires fixing or different
rail or tie Is used. "a will have to be
at the expense or the city; and ~ tho
city does not do g. ~ proposed 10
empower the D. T.. " with authority
10 DO what IL pleases IN the premises
and the city ~ 10 pay the company
Till that they present
nm the Bancroft appraisal OF 1910
the appraisal committee eliminated
paving entirely as an asset.
Paving insofar as the ID. I. II. Is