Morris tribune., 1910-03-04

| the cost. The prOYlSO flXlng the pro-
| portion the state can expend should
/ be eliminated and the amount left to
the discretion of the highway COM
mission, subject, of course, to the
constitutional proyiso that not more
than three per cent of the state road
and bridge fund can be expended in
any county in any one year.
The assessed valuation Of the state
for the year 1909 is S1,108,6O5,572
/ The valuation will be materially in
creased this year, when there is
complete new assessment of real es-
tate and, for convenience sake, we
will assume that it will be increased
to $1,2OO,00O, 900. Why not amend
the constitution so as to permit OF the
levying of a one mill tax upon all the
taxable property of the state to pro-
vide a state road and bridge fund
commensurate with the dignity and
Importance of the great state of Min
nesota?
California is expending millions of
dollars in the improvement of it's
roads-has issued state bonds for
that purpose. The comparatively
young state of Washington levies
general state road tax of one mill,
and that splendid commonwealth is
forging to the front at rapid rate
and is attracting thousands of people
we can ill afford to lose from this
state. Are not the people of the
North Star State as intelligent and
progressive as those of California and
Washington?
A tax rate of one mill on a $780,
100000 valuation would produce
state road and bridge fund annually
of $1,20O,0O0. With fund of such
magnificent proportions something
worth while in the improvement of
our highways could be accomplished.
Such sum judiciously expended an
I nually. under state supervision and
expert road-builders would soon put
Minnesota in the front ranks in the
good roads movement. There are IS
counties In the state and each county,
on an average, would receive $4,000
In round numbers, which, supplement-
ed by local taxation for road purposes,
would give each county from Is to 20
miles of good permanent highways
each year. Think of it: 1900
miles of first-class roads within the
state in the next decade!
Is there anything unreasonable or
impracticable in this proposition?
Would a 1-mill tax be onerous?
Surely tax of ten cents on each one
hundred dollars worth of property,
which is generally assessed at one
third of it's value, would not be bur-
densome. To be sure the three large
counties of st. Louis, Hennepin and
Ramsey, where the population and
wealth of the state is largely con-
centrated, would contribute more
than SO per cent of the entire fund,
What of it? Large wealth should be
taxed for the general good. If 1-miIl
tax could be enforced this year the
United States steel corporation alone
would contribute over 100000 to the
state road and bridge fund, and next
year at least an additional $4,000!
would rather see that amount of
|
the roads and bridges of the state,
out in the rural districts where it
would do the farmers some good, than
twice or thrice that sum paid into
the state treasury, under the guise
Of tonnage tax, to be wasted upon
horde of useless new Office-h0lders.
Why should the cities of st. Paul
70 nh
In this age Of automobiles, as far as
travel by road is concerned, Prince
ton is nearer Minneapolis today than
Anoka was ten years ago. Quite fire.
quently nowadays an automobilist
leaves Minneapolis after partaking
of a late breakfast, eats lunch on the
shores of Mile Lacs Lake and dimes
the same evening with mine host
Dan Gum at Grand Rapids The
city people make use of our rural
roads more frequently than we couR-
ty people do, and their automobiles
play havoc with our roads. But mark
the indirect benefit that would accrue
to these cities. Two-thirds of the
state is tributary to the Twin Cities.
A system of good roads, such as a
1-mill tax would lay the foundation
for, would add 100000 people to the
population of the state within the
next decade. Think what such an
addition to the population of the state
would mean to the merchants, man
ufacturers and mechanics of the
Twin Cities.
1t is useless for me to enumerate
the benefits that would accrue to the
rural districts from a system of good
roads, and, remember, have not in
view roads paved with granite blocks
or macadamized roads. l have in
mind roads properly drained and
rounded off, wide enough for vehi-
cles to pass each other without diff
Guilty, with a top, dressing of gravel
, or crushed rock wherever possible.
! By the way, we need about a score
more of rock-crushers, such as the
one located at the st. Cloud Reforma-