The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-03-07
$3.50, 900 TO BE DIVIDED AMONG
Y < COUNTIES.

$3.50, 900 TO BE DIVIDED AMONG
COUNTIES.
Auto Tax Revenue-First Semi.An-
nual Apportionment Will be
Made on April 4.
More money will be spent for the
construction of better highways in
Iowa this year than ever before in a
single year in the history of the state.
The great source OF revenue for
the road funds of the ninety-nine
counties will be the accrued collection
from the automobile licenses under
provisions of the Kulp law, which
was enacted by the Thirty-fourth
general assembly.
| April is the date fixed by law for
the next apportionment of the auto
license fund. Eighty-five per cent
of the total collection by the state
under the law returns to the county
to be used in the upbuilding Of the
country roads. BY April 1 the auto
license fund will contain more than
100000.
More than $25O,o00 will be d.
vided among the ninety-nine coun-
ties for road work. Because the law
became effective in July last year,
the fee for the first license period,
which was only six months, was only
half as large as the fee for the 1912
period, full year.
Dates of Distribution. !
The law fixes two dates for appor-
tionments of the fund each year
April 1 and August 1. At the time
of the first apportionment last year,
only a few thousand machines had
been registered, and the. sum appor-
toned each county was small.
In April. the, fund will contain
nearly three-fourths Of the proceeds
of the tax for 1911, and practically
the entire tax for 1912.
Including the January receipts,
the exact totals of the monies in the
auto license fund was $275,084,84.
The receipts of the auto department
for February and March will be add
ed to the money to be distributed.
February and March receipts will
be heavy, as only 1890 cars out of
total of 10000 owned in the state,
had been registered Feb. 1. w. G.
Hayward, secretary OF state, believ-
ling all of the cars owned in the state
will be registered. before the time
comes to close the books for the APP
portionment.
| 1t is estimated that each county
will receive in April approximately
$4,000 for road work.
The law providing for the appoint
ment of township superintendent of
road dragging advanced the date of
the selection of the road officials to
the first week in February. In every
county these officers are now at
work, arranging the work to be done
lon the roads in the various townships
as soon as winter breaks.
Criticism of Kulp Law.
Automobile owners have registered
a number of complaints against GER
tain provisions of the Kulp law. 1t
is certain some changes in the statute
will be asked during the next session
of the general assembly.
Secretary of State Hayward finds
particular cause for complaint in
that section of the law which pro-
vides shat all cars must be registered
within thirty days of the beginning
|of new license period, or put upon
the delinquent tax list and certified
to the county attorneys, who are di-
lrected to resort to court procedure
to secure the license fees.
The experience of the office of the
Isecretary of state has been that auto
mobile owners are in no hurry to reg
lister their cars during the most Sc
we're winter weather, when cars are
not in use.
The names of $4,000 automobile
owners were on the delinquent lists
sent out from Mr. Hayward's office
this month.
II believe the reason the people
are dilatory about registering their
machines at the first of the year is
that they are of the opinion the Kulp
law is purely police measure"
Favors Amendment.
Mr.. Hayward is in favor of amend
ing this provision of the law to make
it permissible for owners to register
machines as late as Alril /.
Under the present system the
work of making out delinquent lists
comes upon US when the Office if
swamped with applications for IL
censes," said Mr.. Hayward. II think
the making of the long lists, a por-
tion of the work, is needless. IT the
Period for registration would be done
away with"
"A number of automobile owners
i with whom the question has been dis.
cussed are of the opinion the legal
limit for the registration of cars
should be heightened. They point
out the fact that in other tax levies
the poperty owner has at least three
months in which to pay his assess
ment