The Somerset reporter., 1909-04-29
Brotherhood Talks Automobiles.

A joint debate between representa-
tives of Skowhegan Grange and dis
putants appointed by the Brother
hood Of st. Paul took place at the
regular meeting of the latter organi-
cation, in the vestry of the Methodist
Church last Monday evening. The
question was "Resolved that Auto
mobiles Should Be Taxed by the
Horse Power" The affirmative side,
taken by the Grange, was presented
by @. Davis Miller and R. T. Patten;
the negative of the proposition was
defended by Messrs. Leslie B. Jacobs,
H. A. Dinsmore and Rev. F. A. Leitch.
On behalf of the Grange it was
claimed that the operation of auto
mobiles in the public highways con-
stituted a new and unusual use there
of and that any statute enacted by
the citizens of Maine regulating such
use, with view to the safety and
convenience of the general public, or
a special tax imposed to reimburse
the state for the damage done to road
surfaces by motor vehicles, would be
reasonable and just. The speakers
on the affirmative side stated that the
average automobile would damage
the highways from 800 to $500 in a
season and reports from the Massa-
chusetts and Maine Tax commissions
were read in substantiatio of this
assertion. Extracts from the reports
just mentioned were also read recon-
mending a special tax per horse
power for motor vehicles to compen-
safe for the damaged highways. The
Granger representatives also assert
ed that the use of the highways by
horse drawn vehicles was made un-
safe and largely restricted by reason
of motor vehicles traffic. While they
admitted that the motor vehicles was
a valuable invention, likely to grow
in usefulness in the future, the in
sisted that tax of $1.00 per horse
power, to repair in part the damage
TO the highways, was entirely proper.
The speakers on the side of the
Brotherhood took the ground that
motor vehicles were already taxed as
obicI property 10 paACu, upoh ouoii
just valuation, and that it was neither
just, sensible nor practical to impose
upon them an additional burden.
Figures were quoted to show the
magnitude of the automobile bust
ness, millions of dollars beingl invest
ed in their manufacture and thousands
of operatives and statesmen being en-
ployed. 1t was argued that the i'm
position of the tax proposed, S1.00
per horse power, would discourage
and restrict this business to the ulti-
mate damage of everyone. AS to the
damage done to roads, the Scientific
American was quoted to the effect
that if machines were not driven more
than rs miles per hour, no appreci-
able damage to the roadway resulted.
This conclusion. the authority quoted
asserted had been arrived at after ex-
haustive experiments. The repres-
entatives of the Brotherhood claimed
automobiles did not damage the high
ways more than heavy teaming, upon
which it was never proposed to as
sess an extra tax. They further
claimed that horses were becoming
accustomed to the sight of the me-
chemically driven machines and
would soon pay little or no attention
to them. In summing up they main
tanned that special tax on motor
vehicles was tax on progress, which
never should and never would be al
lowed.
Aside from the regularly appointed
disputants, Lewis Anderson spoke in
favor of the affirmative and others
participated in various aspects of the
question. A majority Of those pres
ent voted in favor of the affirmative
on vote taken at the close Of the
debate.