The Detroit times., 1913-02-08
EARLE HAS A
SCHEME FOR
THROUGH ROADS
Would Submit Matter to the
Counties in Districts
Concerned
UNFAIR TO TAX ALL
FOR THESE HIGHWAYS
Detroit Would Pay More Than
Its Share Under Such
a System
BY Horatio S. Earle, Father Of Good
Roads in Michigan.

BY Horatio S. Earle, Father OF Good
Roads in Michigan.
I l. am for Good Enough Roads
whether II be calf-paths or broadway 5
roads that are good enough for the
amount OF their traffic only.
am for an equitable division of
the cost of building and repairing
gIod roads
! Through roads are local roads in
every locality as we'll as through
roads for all the townships, villages,
and cities they connect Good through
roads would be OF great benefit TO
our state, SO valuable as to make IL
wise 90 build them. But we must not
60 road-crazy and raise the money to
build these highways In any but a
safe, sane, equitable way.
! H. isn't right for all of us TO buy
! good roads for a few OF us. for il it
iwerc-then we should also buy the
| power and the wagons for a few.
! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS are more wheel
tarrowlsts" than automobilists. The
wheelbarrowists' have not asked the
state 10 buy wheelbarrows or whcsl
barrow roads for them and THY
should be kept in mind when the tax
lis being levied to build good roads
| Remember, also, that the wheel
barrOwists" have to pay the whole
first cost OF paving their streets in
Detroit, Grand Rapids. Saginaw, Kali
amazoo, Jackson Lansing, Marquette
| IIoughton and In al the other cities
OF the state; also that the state re-
lw = road tax is now an extra tax on
thcm but the present amount is not
/ ~ ~. IaNs lad a md
taey have willingly paid It.
Also In most OF these cities they
| pay in addition to the state reward
! road TAX IA county road tax and no
part OF either tax is used TO pave
streets.
NV it may seem strange that
Good Roads" Earle should object to
| any plan that would raise money TO
build good roads-but strange or not
strange he will if the plan is unfair.
To pay all the cost out OF the state
treasury TO build through good roads
is unfair, il is collecting money from
all 10 build roads for a few and is
Wroag.
To cease taxing automobiles local
H. and place specific tax OH them
and IN, this money into the state
treasury TO build through roads is
nothing less than highway robbery
Approximately over half OF the au-
tomoDles in Michigan are owned in
Detroit. then Detroit would be paying
one.half the cost OF building through
roads
Detroit pays over one-ffth OF the
taxes OF the state and SO one.ffth of
the state reward road tx, and i think
this Is quite enough.
The state reward road bounty has
proved TO be generator OF good
roads more than | anticipated when |
wrote IL. don't believe il is wise TO
change the ten commandments, t'ie
Lords Prayer or the state reward
road law
Ill the state should pay toward the
cost Of through roads is what the
state reward road law provides, name
~. $500 a mile for gravel road, $3.50
for stone gravel and $1,000 fer ma.
cadam or better roads.
WHat Justice, would there be in
building a good road at state expense
through a county that. has done no
good road building?
Let me give you an example OF the
Injustice OF through road building al
state oXpense-tatc Midland county.
for Instance II the Meridian road
were TO he built OF gravel 25 miles
long II would cost about $4,000 OF
this amount II built at state expense.