The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-07-31
OLD ROAD SYSTEM
COSTS $4,000 EACH
YEAR, SAYS JONES
Supervisor Shows How
County Pays More Auto
License Than It Receives
Tax in Return.

At the cost of at least $4,000 a year,
Wayne county is learning the lesson
that the system of road Improvement
in this county is an obsolete one.
Because the county maintains but
240 miles of gravel and macadam
roads, it's share of the automobile tax
which was sent to the county treasury
today, amounted to but $4,744.58.
There are TAP miles of road in Wayne
county but only 240 miles of it are
counted in the allotment of the state
auto tax, which is divided among the
counties on the basis of one-third
equal distribution, one-third in pro-
portion to the number of automobiles
in the county and one-third according
to the number OF miles of county
roads.
Wayne Below Average.
The apportionment of the tax &C
cording to the miles of free turnpikes,
is only $1,028.12 for Wayne county.
The average number of free turnpikes
for each county in the state is almost
800 miles and Wayne county is much
larger than the average county, and
consequently should have a much lar
ger mileage of free turnpikes. 1t was
estimated by County Treasurer Cham
ness this morning that if the county
had control of at least 800 more miles
of road, it's apportionment of the tax
this year would be at least $500 and
would easily pay for the improvement
on the roads for the year so that the
county would not only receive the
benefit Of having better roads but
would also receive the benefit of get
ting larger per cent of the automo-
bile tax really due her.
The total amount of tax received by
the secretary of state from the auto
mobile registration was 1881, $3.50.
After the expenses of the office have
been paid, it leaves $344,3 63.70 to be
distributed among the counties in the
manner described above
An important feature in connection
with this tax is that Wayne county
pays to the state treasury $8,21O.27
for automobiles in Wayne county and
receives but $4,744, a loss of $3,565.69.
If this loss were counted in figuring
the net loss to the county because it
does not have greater mileage of
county roads, it would amount to over
$4,000 annually.
Favor County Plan.
County Road Supervisor Jones said
today farmers of the county are be-
ginning to realize the great advan-
| tages of the county having charge of
the roads instead of the townships.
This is shown by the large number of
petitions that have been presented to
| the county commissioners asking them
to take over the township roads. A
number of these roads have been ia
ken over by the county during the
past year and as a consequence the
county has received a slightly larger
proportion Of the auto tax than it did
last year but still not as much as it
ought to.
The advantage of the new plan to
have all the roads under supervision
of one man from the county instead
of under the township trustees, is that
| through this means, the cost Of i'm
provement is distributed more evenly
! over the county. The corporations as
sist in keeping up the roads, while un-
der the old plan, the corporation did
not aid.
A notable example of the injustice
of the old system of township road
supervision is that of Cambridge City,
according to the road supervisor
! There are only seven miles of county
roads in Jackson township while the
VI SdIllUIIu6c WY udo "
help pay for all of the township roads
in that township besides helping keep
! all the county roads. If a different sys-
tenn were used, the expense of keep
ing up the roads would be more even
| ly distributed.
Trustee Porterfield, of Boston town.
ship, said today that several petitions
are now being prepared in Boston
township which will be presented to
the county commissioners within the
next few weeks, asking the county to
take over twenty miles of road in that
township. 1t is understood that SINH
lar petitions are being signed in other
townships with the same purpose in
view.
| ut is only a question of time when
all the farmers in the county will
come to see the advantages of the sys
tenn of entire county supervision OF
the roads and then township roads
will be thing of the past. 1t is the
only plan whereby a uniform system
can be worked out" said Road Super
visor Jones.