The daily sentinel., 1914-06-05
ORDINANCES
UNFAIR, SAYS
SUNDE Rim
Unjust TO Deny Company Right
TO Have Voice in Official
Appraisal.
WON'T OPERATE CARS AT LOSS
CHARACTERIZING The municipal


ownership ordinance as unjust
and unfair and stating that IL
made little difference whether the
ordinance was passed by the coun-
ell or submitted to the people. Pres
ident p. A. Sunderlin OF the Fruit
Relt route this morning gave out an
interview on the situation as seen
from the company's viewpoint.
1--WE regret that this question
should he again agitated. when
scarcely six months ago, the people
OF the city had an opportunity to, and
did, express themselves on it," said
Mr.. Sunderlin.
'Ot course, such agitation is in
furious to our company and believe
the community as we'll The people
OF Mesa county know the conditions
under which the people who rinanc-
ed our enterprises came i'm here
they know that their expectations
have been disappointed know
that they have received no adequate
return on their investment and can
not hope to for many years TO come.
We shared in the general optimism.
which all felt as to the future of the
Grand Valley, and we still feel that
optimism, but no business can go
forward and develop in the face of
continual assault and threatened lit
! igation. Many things which we had
hoped to do have been rendered i'm
possible. II this agitation arose from
any wellgrounded grievance against
our company it would be different.
but we are not aware of any such
grievance We are furnishing
! lighting service of the highest stan
dard at rates no higher than those
saF ~ 1a.asa .ssF IL
at the same time, have established
an urban and interurben transpor-
ta'tion system far in advance of the
business development of the COM
munity, which we must expect to op-
crate at a loss for some years to
come.
When ] say loss, | mean an ac-
tual operating loss, eliminating any
return on the investment whatsoever
| cannot but believe this movement
is promoted by municipal ownership
theorists rather than by those who
have a just complaint against our
company--its rates or the manner in
which It carries on its business"
Wien asked to give his views con-
eerning the proposed ordinance. Mr..
Sunderlin said:
Even We're we to grant that mu-
nicipal ownership is desirable, the
proposed ordinance would seem to be
useless as it gets nowhere.
I'm the first place 1t settles moth
ing. and in the second place ii is alb,
solutely unjust and unfair. | cannot
conceive of the commissioners pre-
suming to pass such an ordinance in
the face OF the vote last fall. and
from the fact that ii will settle moth
ing, even IL adopted by the voters.
the special election necessary would
seem to place a useless and wholly
unnecessary load on our already ov-
erburdened taxpayers
Asked in what respects the ordi-
nance was unfair. Mr. Sunderlin said:
1T is a simple case of heads | win
tails you lose. An engineer (the or
dinance does not say whether he shall
be a civil engineer, locomotive en-
gineer, or an electrical and hydrau-
lie engineer). should appraise that
portion Of our plant which the favor
ers of the ordinance desire to buy.
We have no voice in his selection. He
is the agent of the city. And yet. we
must either accept his appraisal or be
forced into the courts. The ordi-
nance carries with 1t yelled threat
to build an independent plant in
case our company does not see its
way clear to sell at the price which
the city itself names. Briefly, those
back of this movement seem to want
to divide up the property of these
companies that which they de-
sire at a price to be fixed by them
selves, and leave us with the portion
which must be operated at a loss. I
hope the time has not arrived when
a community can adopt code of bus
iness morality. which if adopted by
an individual would brand him as
dishonest Grand Junction may be
able to strip us of our property with
out just compensation. but We do not
believe II, and We do not believe that
a majority of its citizens desire it.
1t is for them to say, for my COM
pany viii not be drawn into politics
and political fights to protect itself
All We shall do in this present con-
test is to present the facts as we see
them and leave it to the voters of this
city to say what is fair to us. and
best for themselves
"Of one thing We are sure and that
is that we cannot have portion of
our property taken from us and then
be compelled to operate that which Is
left lat loss"
Martin Beck. one OF the high school