The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-10-29
DUR. May
ABOLISH
TICKETS
MAYOR MARX.
Executive Tells Pack
ard Men What Might
Happen
Crowd Good Natured,
And Asks q Few
Questions


John Dodge got one laugh out Of
the Packard workingmen In . meet
Ing. Thursday noon. A slam At the
d. U. r. II always good for . hand
at these street car meetings. wheth-
er It comes from . friend or an op-
ponent Of the present plan to buy
the company's property.
Ever since this plant has been
built" the street railway commits
sioner declared. you men have
been riding to and from your work
on Harper's weekly"
The stage was all set for the biz
show when the men strolled out
into the street after their lunch to
smoke their pipes In the sunshine.
The mayor had driven up to the
curb in . big Packard. with John
Dodge 1T the wheel. The photog-
rapher was there, with his camera
set and focused. and the handful
were busily ct work In
the crowd. Pretty soon the mayor.
who had gone iAto the once. came
out under the chaperonage OF Presi-
dent Henry B. Joy. and both climb
ell into Dodge's machine.
Come on over here, fellows"
called Mr.. Joy, beckoning with his
arm. and in response to the ges-
ture q couple OF hundred men group-
ed around the machine, being Join
ed later by others IS they came out
OF tho plant until there was q fair
crowd before the button on the
camera was pressed.
Mr.. Joy told the men what the
meeting was about and why the
mayor and Mr.. Dodge were there.
adding:
II may not agree with these gen.
tlemen, but want you to give them
a careful hearing"
With this encouraging start the
mayor made a neat speech. He re-
called that the people had voted four
TO one for municipal ownership. that
1t had been necessary to get legisla-
ton first and that he had made
many trips to Lansing before the
necessary legislation was enacted.
Then he told about the appointment
OF the street railway commission,
taking care. to ssy that w. d.
Mahon resigned from the commits
sion because he was too busy to con.
tinue to serve on II, and outlined
the advantages Of the present pur-
chase plan as he saw them.
Commissioner Dodge went into
more detail as to the work of the
commission. declaring that both
the condemnation plan and the piece
meal construction plan had been
carefully considered and discarded
before the present purchase plan
was taken up.
Tho condemnation plan he declar-
ed bad because of the possibility Of
legal delays while the d. U. r. ap-
pealed the award through every
court in the land.
And you can bet that during the
two or three years delay. after they
knew they would have to get OF the
streets, you wouldn't get any ser.
vice." he said. And they would let
the property run down. the price
being fixed In the first, suit, % that
when we came to get possession Of
the property 1t would not be worth
anywhere near what 1t was in the
lrbt place.
Mr.. Dodge declared that IL the
present proposition 10 beaten 1t will
be an end to municipal ownership
for 20 years. And in winding up
the meeting the mayor raised again
the threat of higher fares II the
purchase proposition IL defeated.
I'VE are working on q day to day
agreement" he declared. and there
is nothing to prevent the d. U. X.
putting the fares back to i've cents
the day after election II they want
to. I will assure you that will
fight just as hard to keep them from
doing II a. I did to get the seven.
for-n-quarter fares for you. but u
they want to raise fares they have
the right"
The mayor asked for. almost beg
ged for questions. and finally they
began to come. They we're good
natured. and came from the mer
the mselves, not from opponents WHIT
are making It . business to attend
meetings.