The Detroit times., 1914-05-09
SUBWAY PLAN
Is BOOSTED BY
RAILWAY BOARD
Sees In Comprehensive System
Only Solution of the Trans
pOrtatiOn Problem
ORDERS GATHERING
OF DATA ON SUBJECT
Planned, Too, That Future
Street Car Lines Be Built
By the City

For the first time since the appoint
ment OF James Wilkie to the board
and since the return OF James Couzens
from California, the municipal rail-
way commission met. Friday after
noon. In the mayors office and in ex'
ecutiye session adopted two resoln'
lions, one placing the commission OH
record as fayoring a suDwa. system
and another providing that all future
surface lines, other than those pro-
vided for in the Aug. z agreement, be
constructed by the city. In response.
to Aid. O'Briens resolution. adopted
by the council, urging the commission
to construct the Fourteenth line ex'
tension from Bagg-st. To Fort-st.,
Chairman John r. Dodge was empow-
cred TO make inquiry relative TO form
ing an organization for accomplishing
that enc. The subway resolution fol
lows
Resolved, That it is the sense
of this commission that the pas
senger transportation problem or
this city can best be solved by the
construction of comprehensive
subway system through the main
arteries OF the city, and further be
x
Resolved, That the officers or
this commission be directed to
gather all available information to
aid in bringing about this end al
the earliest date possible
The subway project was given I'M
petus In the common council long be-
fore the municipal railway commits
sion was thought OF. A committee on
public utilities, OF which Aid. Charles
w. Burton was chairman. took up the
subway plan and gathered some val
liable data which the council has OF
fered TO turn over to the railway
commission.
II was suggested when the railway
was first appointed py
Mayor Marx that It busy Itself with a
study or comprehensive subway
plan until ready to talk business to
or at the r. II r Instead OF doing
this, the commissioners dallied around
waiting for decision on the Verdier
home rule bill before making any Ell
fort that might be wasted In the
event OF the supreme court holding
against the city. Now the commits
sion has the power to go ahead with
ownership and the mem
bers suddenly become interested In
The ID. u. r has submitted an In.
ventory OF its property that will total
a bout $40 100000 No announcement
was made, Friday, by Secretary Ed
ward Fitzgerald OF the employment or
engineers or experts to examine this
appraisal. which the company admits
Is the reproduction value. The com
mission has asked the d. U. X. for
selling price. but evidently the ID. U.
r. is unwilling TO quote more figures
until the commission has Thoroughly
digested the inventory.
Dean Mortimer s. Cooley, of the
OF Michigan engineering
department, did not confer with the
relative 10 his employ
ment as organizer of the commission 8
staff The commission
has not been so enthusiastic over EN-.
ploying Prof. Cooley since The Times
called attention to his being an anti
ownership man. Neither
did the commission make any official
announcement concerning the selec-
ton Of secretary TO relieve Edward
T. Fitzgerald, mayors secretary, OF
portion OF his extra duties.
The session lasted for two hours,
but beyond drafting the resolutions
referred to and smoking several OF
the mayors best cigars, the commits
sion accomplished nothing, or at all
events nothing that II cares TO tell
the public.
The commission will meet next Wed
nesday afternoon at o'clock, and
thereafter weekly meetings on Mon
days at 2:30 p. m.