The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-05-07
Autos Wear Out Roads.

the 1900 miles of good roads already
completed that the new State High
way Commission will not award this
year any more contracts for good
roads construction. The commission
has determined to devote its efforts
during the coming year to the 500
miles additional of good roads work
now under contract and TO repairing
the 1900 miles of road completed
since the good roads project was
started in this State ten years ago.
The commission has asked the Leg
islature for an appropriation of ST.
100000 to repair these 1900 miles OF
| good roads. 1t developed at hear
Ing before the Senate Internal At
fairs Committee to-day on the Aids
Hamm automobile bill that the stone
macadam roads which have been
built by the State will not stand the
strain of the automobiles, and the
Highway Commission is experiment.
ing with an asphalt cement which Is
to be utilized in covering all of the
stone macadam roads so far con-
structed. Meanwhile the commission
Is Investigating the question with a
view of revolutionizing road con-
struction in this State so as to pro-
duce a road which will successfully
meet the wear and tear of the auto
mobile.
The farmers up the State are
aroused over the bad condition the
good roads are in because Of the de-
strnntinn tuhioh fnllnUc thnir nv
the automobilists, and the situation
has become SO acute that the High
way Commission fears the good roads
work will be checked unless some-
thing is done to ally this feeling.
r. n. Godfrey, the master of the
State Grange, and the members OF
the legislative committee Of the
grange appeared before the commit
tee this afternoon and insisted that
the Allds-Hamm bill should be
passed The purpose Of this bill is
to tax the automobiles sufficiently to
raise nearly enough money to repair
the damage they do to the good
roads. 1t is estimated that this bill
would bring an annual revenue into
the State treasury of 100000. It
imposes a tax Of So on automobiles
weighing 1900 pounds or less; $40
on machines weighing from 1900 to
$500 pounds, and an additional SIS
for each 500 pounds of weight over
$500 pounds. The owners must reg
lister with the Secretary Of State. The
chauffeurs must be licensed and pay
a fee of 81.
Probably the most important pro-
vision in the bill is that all speed linn
It's are abolished, and it is provided
that the automobilist must operate
his car with due regard for the safety
of the public at all times. His speed
Is left to his own discretion, but the
burden of responsibility is placed on
him, no matter at what rate of speed
his machine is being operated.
On country roads where the high
ways are clear the automobilists
would have the speed limie lifted and
be permitted to run their machines
In their own discretion. They would
not be kept in fear Of the country
justice who gets the automobilists
and their fines by his speed trap sys-
TEN.
Charles T. Terry, Of New York
City; George H. Stillwell, of Syra-
cuse, and George c. Diehl, Of Buffalo.
representing the automobile associa-
tions, insisted that if the automobiles
were to be taxed, other vehicles using
the road should also be taxed proper
tionately, pointing out that otherwise
the automobile tax would be uncon-
stitutional. They insisted that the
penalty provisions were too drastic,
especially the one permitting impris-
onment for a first offense against
speeding
Alfred Ely, representing the Auto
mobile Club Of America, said that the
automobilists were willing to pay
their share of road maintenance, and
that they favored the provision in
the bill providing that justices of the
peace should turn over all fines to the
State treasury, tc be used in repair
ing roads, although he thought the
penalties provided in the bill were
too severe.
Senator lothian p. Aids, chairman
of the Senate Finance Committee,
said that if some new scheme of taxa
ton to meet the cost of repairing the
good roads was not devised, the whole
scheme of good roads construction
was likely to fall. He pointed out
that it was demonstrated in Massa-
chusetts that automobiles cause fifty
two per cent. of the destruction of
roads there and insisted that they
should be taxed accordingly to meet
the expenses of repair here. Senator
Aids and the representatives of the
automobile associations had an In
teresting colloquy on this question.
the representatives of the AUTOMOBILE
lists finally declaring that the taxes
imposed in the bill would raise much
more than $500, 900, and that they