The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-08-17
AUTO TAX MONEY RECEIVED.
County Treasurer Received $921.12
as Decatur County's First Appor-
tionment. To be Divided Among
all the Townships.

| Friday received a draft for $921.12
Decatur County's share of the new
auto tax, and this sum will be divided
equally among the sixteen townships
of the county, giving each township
$57.57. The law specifically pro-
vides that all this money must be
spent in improving the highways out
side the city limits, and the city OF
! Leon, which pays the tax on nearly
thirty autos, will not receive a cent
, of the tax.
Treasurer of state w. w. Morrow,
determined how much money each
county in the state shall receive as
it's share of the roads fund created by
the new motor tax law.
The total fund created by the law
amounts to Sill, 1926. Fifteen per
cent of this amount, or $16,695.S9 is
retained by the state to defray ex-
penses incident to the issuance OF
motor car licenses. This leaves a to-
tai of S94,59S76 to be divided among
the several counties of the state to
use for good roads purposes.
The figures of the treasurer show
that each township in the state re-
ceives $5757 as it's share of the fund.
The total for each county differs, this
being determined according to the
number of townships each county has
in proportion to the whole number OF
townships of the state.
The apportionment shows that
great inequalities exist by reason of
the provisions of the law. Many of
10 in hn CT
cure less money than the smaller,
less populated counties.
Pottawatamie and Kossuth coun-
ties head the list. These two coun-
les each receive $1,611.96 from the
fund. The reason is that both of
these counties have twenty-eight civil
townships-more than any other
county in the state.
According to the treasurer of state,
the ruling of the attorney general
that civil rather than congressional
townships shall be counted in dis
tributing the fund, brings about the
inequality.
The counties themselves fix the
number of civil townships each con-
tains. Congressional townships are
six miles square. Hence there is
nothing to prevent the counties
which have but few civil townships
at present to redivide the county and
make as many civil townships as it
pleases hence getting a greater slice
of the good roads fund.
Furtherm it is pointed out
many of the larger and density popu-
lated counties have but few civil
townships, which fact holds them
down to a smaller portion of the fund
while some small county with no
large cities, may be cut up into many
civil townships and thus secure a
greater portion of the money.
1T is evident that the distribution
of this fund under the law and the
opinion of the attorney general,
brings about an unfair DIVISION
said Treasurer Morrow. The next
general assembly will have to amend
the law plainly designating that con-
gressional and not civil townships are
to be considered in making the APP
portionment.'
This is the first apportionment to
be made under the new law. mas
much as the fees collected under the
law were but a period of six months,
the amount to be distributed among
the counties is about one-half as
much as will be on March /, when
the state treasurer will make the Sec
ond apportionment. The fees to be
collected by the secretary of state
beginning Jan. 1, 1912, will be for
the entire year, are double what he
has been collecting this year.
The following table prepared by
the treasurer of state shows the num-
Der Of civil townships in the county
and share of fund it will receive as
soon the warrants can be made out
and transmitted.