The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-03-01
The Lines Will Be Safer
In the Hands Of the People

Z TN the Hands Of the People
There may be valid arguments against
the street railway settlement proposed
by the city's commission. but the argu.
ments advanced thus far are certainly
futile.
The one big argument that can be
made Il on the magnifcence Of the price !;
but that the city is offering too much
for the benefits which it would gain has
not been shown.
One newspaper which insists strenu-
ously that it wants to be fair Gliding
It's face with its hand meanwhile), and
claims to be open to conviction Though
It was convinced of anti-municipal own
srship sentiments long ago, and has
never had change of heart, whatever
II may say to the contrary, says that
'sthe first point is he old problem of
municipal ownership"
That newspaper is two years, at least,
behind the times.
The municipal ownership question was
settled once and forever, if we are any
judge Of the feeling and temper of the
citizsns Of Detroit, in the spring of 1913,
when the municipal ownership policy
was adopted by the overwhelming vote
Of l0,5S1 to 9,542.
Has anything GENE up ia TIVE years
10 convert 40,531 voters, or any con-
siderable fraction Of them, to d. U. R.
management
Has service improved so noticeably?
Has overcrowding or badly-ventilated
caxs ceasedf
Has the street railway question
ceased to trouble our politics?
No honest newspaper can answer
syess to these questions.
Then how, or why, or with whom, is
municipal ownership question at this
ttns7
Only with those who are against it.
Another newspaper which Is not in
favor Of municipal ownership, argues
that while the city proposes to assume
the mortgaged debt Of six interurban
lines, It will not receive the lines them
selves.
The obvious answer is that the debt
Of the d. u. r. property does not repre-
cent the entire ownership of that prop
erty.
This is a deal for the purchase of GER
tain lines--not the foreclosure of al
mortgage.
The only question to be decided by
the people is: Is the price too much for
rs to pay?
Without taking position for or
against the proposed settlement, we Of
fer our readers the following reflection,
in the hope that it viii bring forth COM
ment or reply-for we are as anxious as
anyone to see our way clearly.
Time has shown that it is useless to
attempt to fight the ID. U. r. in the
courts until its last franchise in the city
streets has expired.
1 In other words, unless settlement is
effected on terms which the d. U. r.
win accept, the struggle viii 60 on until
1924. when the last rights of the three
Icent lines expire.
II the plan of the street railway COM
mission Is workable, in 1924 the bonded
'ebt win have been decreased by s4,-
G80.000, and there win remain s2,547,-
498 in the sinking fund.
The sinking fund will be increasing,
Mt that time, at the rate of over 81, $780,
600 year
Meanwhile, the city will have issued
100000 in bonds to accomplish this
purpose, and with rapidly mounting
surplus win have seen its way clear to
retire all the rest of the bonds without
m appeal to the public treasury.
In other words, we shall have paid
/: over $5.000,000 of the purchase price,
and have accumulated rapidly grow
ing sinking fund.
Now IL we wait until 1924, we may be
able to buy the ID. u. r. lines at a lower
dgure; but we shall have to start even
With the board, after having paid the
p. Y. R q large annual profit for eight
pears