The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-09-10
S25,149.2O FROM
REGISTRATIONS
OF AUTO CARS
Law Has Fully Met Expectations
of Its Author
Be USED IN ROAD BUILDING
Money Will Be Expended on High
ways Showing Maximum Of Auto
mobile Travel.

Montpelier, Sept. 9.-The Hon. Guy
w. Bailey, secretary -. stats has
paid over to State Treasurer Z. II.
| Deavitt his collections on automobile
registration and chauffeur licensing
for the quarter ending September /, a
total of $9,421. This sum together
with the amount collected for the
quarter ending June /, which was
| $15,72S.lS, makes an aggregate col
lected and paid into the State treas
ury for the six months period ending
September | on this account, S25.149,-
20.
| 1t will be remembered that at the
time the present automobile registra-
tration law was proposed in the Legis
lature of 1908, an estimate of the re-
ceipts from the proposed law of $685.
900 was made. There are some Incl
dental expenses chargeable upon
these receipts, among which are the
cost of number plates furnished with
| the licenses and a few other expenses,
making a probable total not exceed
ing 1000, and it is presumed that
registration to be made before the
end of the year will more than take
care of this expense so that the sum
to be realized for highway purposes
should not fall below $25, 900.
Goes For Auto Routes.
AS is generally understood. this
money will be used in permanent
road improvement. pro rata, in the
counties of tne state. in accordance
with the registration receipts from
said counties. The plan that has
been pursued by the Hon. c. w. Gates
State highway commissioner, is also
generally understood as providing for
the expenditure of the automobile
money on highways subject to the
maximum Of automobile travel. Mr..
Gates testities that as a rule the
towns iif which this money could be
made available have responded to his
plan. which has involved the expen-
diture by tne town on its own &C
count of sum equal to that coming
to 1t from this source.
In one instance where his plan con-
templated the improvement OF a
cross-state route the result has not
yet been as satisfactory as was
hoped. In this. case which is the
route from Rutland to Woodstock.
one or two small towns failed to
meet the state half way. 1t is prob
able that quite a portion of the $685.
600 available Is yet unexpected. and.
therefore road improvements in vari-
Gus sections by~means of it may be
expected to continue until as late a
date in the fall as is practicable for
that sort of work.
Number Registered 1856
From Mr.. Bailey's records much In
teresting data bearing upon automo-
bile investment appears. Exclusive
of machines in the hands of agents.
the number registered this year is
now 1866, as owned in Vermont. II
is probable that enough machines are
in the hands of agents to total LOO.
This means that there is one automo-
bile in Vermont for every $50 peo-
pie, approximately. These figures diff
fer somewhat from the numbers that
appear on the plates. II has been
Mr. Bailey's policy to issue number
plates. beginning with the highest
to all machines registered
for tde first time this year. This
method was adopted because many
owners of automobiles in past years
wish to retain their original numbers.
The highest number now outstanding
is 1896.
Many of the numbers issued in past
years, are now in disuse as being at
tached TO machines which are. for one
reason or another, either out of the
state or very near the scrap heap.
One OF the numbers that Mr.. Bailey |
is sure of not being in use is "13'. Ii |
was formerly an agents number, but |
that agent went out of business and 1t |
has been refused since then by every |
body to whom II has been offered
The number OF licensed operators in
the state is now 1899.
AS regards. the distribution of auto
mobiles in TIE various counties in the
state. Windsor county takes the lead
with 240. Rutland county comes next
with 900. and Chittenden is third with
1856. There are but IL owned in
Grand Isle county and the next low
est is Essex county with II. WASH
ington county has 156, and Caledonia
1874. The other counties vary
from q in Lamoille to 1Ol in Ben
lington.