The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1906-03-24
REGARDING
ROAD TAXES.
The Following Is Circular Letter from
Horatio s. Earle, State Highway
Commissioner,

A circular letter issued by Horatio
S. Earle, state highway commis-
sioner, contains the following con-
cerning the subject OF road taxes;
I'm ninety.five per cent Of the
townships 10 Michigan we have the
triple road tax system, consisting
of the labor tax levied on all prop
erty outside OF incorporated villages,
the cash highway and bridge tax
levied or all property in the town
ship, and the poll tax.
The statutes demand that poll tax
tax shall be levied on every male in
habitant over twenty-one and under
fifty years Of age, living in a road
district, except pensioners OF the
United States, persons exempt on
account Of military laws, paupers.
or those mentally incompetent. Yet
as a matter Of fact such tax is not
leyied ia over twenty-five per cent
OF the townships of the state.
On property outside OF incorpor-
ated villages labor tax OF not to
exceed one days labor upon each
one hundred dollars valuation, Zone
per cent) can be levied by majority
vote of those voting thereon who
reside outside OF such villages. The
labor must be performed in the
district wherein the property, upon
which the assessment Is made, is
located.
Cash tax of one-half of one per
cent for building or improving high
ways and bridges can be levied up
on all property in the township, by
a majority vote of all those present
and voting in such township.
There is great demand for a
change of the above system or
systems. A majority of the leading
citizens OF the state have lost all
patience with the way the labor tax
has been handle for years in the
greater part of the state. 1t is not
collected. and il it is, it is so poorly
applied to the roads that it does but
little good.
But we must not do away with the
statute labor tax until we have some
thing to take it's place. Will an all
cash road tax do what is necessary,
i. e., keep all the roads in repair and
improve some each yearS No. There
is no law now upon the statute books
that is equitable OF will do what i:
wanted.
There is a law which was passed
in 1881 that permits townships tt
raise all road taxes in cash, to divide
the township into not less than foul
road districts aud in each of)the dis
riots to elect an overseer of high
ways, who shall serve under th'
supervision OF the township high
way commissioner, practically ;
deputy highway commissioner. Blu
this law is not equitable, for it taxe
as much the property in the incor
porated village as it does the farm
property, and the farmer eertainl.
derives more benefit fro n
the use Of the country roads thai
does the resident OF the village
. Besides the village taxpayer, afte
paying his cash road tax, has to pa,
. a cash street tax to improve and re
, pair the streets in his village
Neither is it fair to the farmer VIII,
4 lives on the byways or back roads
for the township officials to use thi
money to improve the leading road
9 at the sacrifice OF the less import
ant ones. H
10 1905 the legislature passe
. what is known as Act No. SO which
certainly ridiculous imitation OF
good" roads law. 1t is ofte
called the "four road district plan.
It provides that the township sha
0 be divided into four road districts
9 and in each Of those districts q
overseer shall be elected who
practically the highway commi.
sioner for that district. 1t puts ou
: OF business entirely the townshi
highway commissioner, althoug
!, under the constitution of the stat
. he must be elected. This law ais
: limits the amount OF money that ca
be raised in q township to three
Continued on page efghp