It looks like what I got here now is this basic script:

property pReferenceDate : date "Wednesday, January 1, 2003 12:00:01 AM"
set vDocNumber to ((current date) - pReferenceDate) as inches as string
"The number is: " & vDocNumber

The display dialog has been replaced with a string concatenation thus
eliminating any coercion that might occur in the 10.4.6 version.

Next, I've got four ways of compiling the reference date:

1. Modify by parts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
set d to (current date)
set day of d to 1
set year of d to 2003
set month of d to January
set time of d to (0 * hours) + 1

2. Modify by parts, list version
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tell (current date) to set {day, year, its month, day, time, d} to {1, 2003,
January, 1, 0 * hours + 1, it}

3. Compile RefDate at runtime
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
property pRefDate : "1/1/2003 00:00:01"
set pReferenceDate to date pRefDate

4. Compile RefDate at runtime v2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
property pRefDate : "1 ja 03 0"
set pReferenceDate to (date pRefDate) + 1

I'll send these in email and have them build the scripts. Let's see what
happens.

Thanks for the suggestions.

-Duane Mitchell