The Washington herald., 1920-04-18
Mayor Promises to Operate
Ford's Trolley in Year
IF Court Permits.
GAS" MADE OF STRAW
Wolverines Pin Faith on
Auto Kings Genius to
End Strap-Hanging.
(By = Staff Corre.pondeut.,

Detroit. April l7.-whether or not
Detroit taxpayers will ride in their
own street cars within a year or
less, as Mayor couzens promised the
night Of the election, when the citi-
zens voted for sl5,ooo.OoO bonds to
take over some OF the city surface
tracks and build others, will prob
ably depend on the courts. Pre-
1imlnary work had been started for
the purpose of giving the city q de-
cent service, when the Detroit Unit
ed Railway went into the United
States courts asking for injunctions
both as to the sale of bonds and
the construction of railway lines.
In the meantime, Henry Ford Is
putting the finishing touches to his
gasoline street car at Dearborn.
The first car was finished last win
ter, but 1t was discovered. when test
ed, that it was too light. and an en-
tirely new vehicle was the result.
The latest one. although IL Is being
made behind closed doors, is known
TO contain considerable aluminium
material. but it has been strength
ened and tests made show II will
SldLd ST.
Plan Depends on Ford's Car.
Mayor Couzens. in boosting the
bonds prior to the election, made
the new car his strongest card, and
the long-suffering public has pinned
its faith TO this more or less secret
contraption. In fact, IL Is taken Tor
granted that the success Of munic-
ipal ownership in Detroit will large
-
II was originally projected as
"one-man" car, but this may not
prove feasible in the crowded dis
tricts or during rush hours. That
would, of course, mean economical
operation. On top of this, Ford
promised he would furnish gasoline
made from straw at a much lower
hgure than ordinary gas. That
also would cheaper the running ex-
peRse.
With the whole thing to be
thrashed out in courts, the strap
hangers have returned to their IN
dfco gloom. The plants of street
car patrons have been heard in this
mans town for nearly a generation.
When the city was. small IL didn't
amount to much. The company
simply collected the fares. The al
Tentative was walking. With the
tremendous expansion of the city
into a metropolis the long suffering
public has come up for air on sew
eraI occasions but until the million
aire mayor took hold and made 1t
a live issue little headway was
made. Now it is a fight to the
finish.
Anyone who knows the former
holds will be barred. courts or no
courts. The Detroit United Rail-
way may consider itself licked but
the knockout will not come in the
nrst round.
VIII Extend Existing Lines
The plan of Mayor Couzens is SIM
plieity itself should the courts give
him a free hand. He simply pro-
poses to take over certain lines
which now run on day-to-day per-
mits. On lines where the franchises
have not lapsed he proposes to
make offers to buy. He figures that
with the trunk lines in his posses
sion the company will be eager to
strike most any kind of bargains.
His most important project, how
ever, is to extend existing lines and
give Ine CITY q CIldhGS " ASL Ooh q
link or two in it's belt. Housing
conditions here are, perhaps, worse
than in most cities of its size on ac-
count of the rapid expansion during
the last few years. The street car
company, being held down to hve-
cent fare. has refused to build and
consequently the 1,O00. 900 population
Is huddled into a comparatively re-
stricted area The mayor. expects to
change all this by providing i'm
mediately for extensions in several
directions.
To all of which the straphangers
of Detroit say amen"
GwA