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Show MAYOR'S RENTAL PLAN FOR AUTOS -MEETSJEBUFFS Police Car Proposal Draws Unfavorable Unfavor-able Comment Already tabled temporarily by the city commission. Mayor E. B. Er-win Er-win s plan for the police department to rent automobiles and cease using its own machines, met more cold receptions Wednesday. The mayor, now in Washington. D. C . sent the commission a request to have a model rental contract drafted, asserting a local car dealer, identity unrevealcd. had offered to provide cars, and service them for 35 cents a mile. Present cost to the police department, depart-ment, not Ini lulling ilepiri lallnii, li 3 83 cents a mile. Mayor Erwln wrote. Refused 1'nanlnwusly Commissioners unanimously refused re-fused to order a contract drafted and referred the matter to Commissioner Com-missioner William Murdoch, head of the department of public affairs and finance, for investigation. On Wednesday, commissioners and other commented on the plan. "It's the weeds.' blankly asserted Commissioner George D. Keyser. ,"I am willing, however, to have it Investigated In-vestigated and its merits, If any, revealed to me." George M. Gadsby, president of the Utah Power and Light company, com-pany, said he was "always Interested Inter-ested in government efficiency at lowest possible cost.' "But I can't comment as to whether wheth-er the city would be betteT off under such a plan, ' he asserted. "In our own case, however, company-owned cars have proven more efficient. I do not want to comment on the city's problem, however." "I know but little of police work, but my own experience is that department de-partment owned cars are better." said City Engineer W. D. Beers. I 'Don't Believe In It' I don't believe in it," commented Commissioner P. H- Coggm. "If the present operating costs are too high, let's find out what Is wrong. ! "Salt Lake City corporation is as large or larger than any private corporation in the city and I believe be-lieve it can operate its own transportation trans-portation facilities as cheaply as any other firm or individuals. "I do not believe rental methods applied to our ambulance service have been successful. Why experiment experi-ment further on police cars?" Commissioner Murdoch said he had "nothing to say at this time." 'There may be some virtue in it,", isaid Commissioner John B. Mathe-son. Mathe-son. "There has not been time to investigate." Saving Held 8mall "We never experiment that way ourselves," said S. Grant Young,; sheriff of Salt Lake county. "If it could be worked out elsewhere at a substantial saving, we might try It. The saving In cost is so slight that I at first glance It would appear to 'be going to a lot of trouble switch-ling switch-ling over for such a small saving. There are bound to be some disadvantages dis-advantages to rental of police automobiles auto-mobiles from a private concern." |