The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-03


 poor man the hardest. The tax based on horse power rating is unfair at the best. An automobile when two or three years old will not develop Yet the registration fee remains the same. Apply the proposed doubling of our tax to secondhand car, three or four years old. The machine can be purchased for $150. It is worth no, more. It rates thirty horse power. That machine now pays $15.O0 in registration fees, $2,0O for a drivers license, and say $250 for it's local tax. This is total of $19.50 paid on taxes on property worth $15O A tax of 13o mills, or 5 per cent, is paid on that machine. If our taxes are doubled, as proposed, $15.00 will be added to the $19.50, and the own CT will pay $34.50 in taxes each year, A tax of 25O mills, or 25 per cent. per annum, on the value of the prop erty taxed. This is little short of confiscation. The wealthy man, with a four thousand dollar machine, will escape with an. increase of not more than twenty per cent over the amount he is paying today The poor man; who always gets the worst of any bargain, will find his taxes practically doubled, if this suggested highway robbery is put over.
 1 The whole, novenent for an in crease of our taxes had it's incaptio on 1 several large corporations, and in the l minds of a number of owners of large amounts of real estate. These gentle men know that if the automobilists can be nu1cted for an extra half mill lion dollars a year, the corporations and the large holders of real estate will escape paying that amount. A viscious campaign of misrepresenta- ton and kfalse statements has been waged byl several newspapers of the f iraI
 ests. Do not be mfsled by any news paper of this character. You off, cers, directors and legal cofnmittee have consistently opposed any in crease in our taxation. In the mat | ter of the Sherwood bill so-cal1ed, which doubled the state tax did i away with all local taxation, we neither favored nor opposed it. We knew the bill would. not get 9 single 1 favorable vote in the committee, and for this reason took no position in re- gard to the bill, and wasted no time
 on it. The bill has since been with drawn by MT. Sherwood, who did n ct realize it's entire effect when he in. Ito. however, by false staten ents att tempted to show that your directors had fostered this bill.
 l We have discussed this question at some length, in order that you may l have the facts to present to your 1 I the point on which the hardest drive will be made against us, and it is absolutely necessary for you to see or write your representatives in the 1 Legislature and tell them where you | stand. It is unnecessary to call to 1 your attention that every property l owner in the vicinity of an improved road is a direct beneficiary from that l Improvement, and that many 9of the
 comforts and benefits possessed to- F 1< .,fs tricts would not be possible were it 1 not for our improved roads.
 You should not only see your senator and representatives yourself,
 but should also get, every other auto I mobilist in your vicinity to do the same. Have them urge that the re- port of the roads, bridges and rivers icommittee on the motor vehicle law 1 be passed without single amend nent. Even one amendment may be fatal for. once the door to amend ments is open, there is no telling I when it will be closed. We must l present a united front.
 Another report from the roads, bridges and rivers committee, which i will be of great benefit to sls all, is a revisionkof the laws in regard to the regulation of traffic upon our hi gh- ways. This is a revision of the rules l of the road and of the law recurring la light upon all vehicles Urge your
 
 for the passageNof this bill as reported
 by the committee. The principal change in the law will be to compel all vehicles within city limits to car
 ry a light. The present ight aw. ap- l pies ony to vehices outside the in1its of a city, and during the past two
 years many serious accidents have occurred in city streets in conse-
 quence-
 Do not lay this bulletin aside until ! you have either written or talked
 with your senator and representa- ftives. The matters herein mentioned are of vital interest to you. The I chances of Success are most promis- ing and you cannot afford to let our 1 work fail Nor lack of attention. All l that is needed at the present time, I to procure the adoption of the two lreports of the roads, bridges and rivers committee herein mentioned, is the added impetus which can be l given by our mem bers. r ou must
 act at once. The vote in the House on these bills will probably come on 1 Thursday April list and in the Senate a few days later.
 l ABRAHAM LODGE TO