Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-02
Last Twenty Years Record
Shows Number Jumped From
$4,000 to 2,445, 664.
PAY SHARE OF TAXES
y IN BUILDING OF ROADS
No Uniformity in Fees, Tendency
Being to Levy on Pleasure Cars
on Horsepower Basis.

In 1915 there were $4,000 motor cars.
Including commercial vehicles. in the
United States according to the regis
,ra+ion statistics assembled by the divi-
sion of road econmoics of the United
States office of public roads and rural
engineering: in 1915 there were 2.44',-
664 This was an increase OF 5'ooo per
cent Ten years ago of the expenditures
on account of the building or rural
roads and bridges in the United states
less than three-tenths of per cent was
derived from the tax on motor Vehlcles'
last year nearly : per cent OF the money
available fer this purpose was derived
from this source. In 1901 the first reve-
nue. derived by any of the states from
automobile revenues was collected In
New York state and amounted to only
sq54 Other states followed the exam
ple of New York. requiring the regis
tration of motor cars. chauffeurs and
operators until in 1905 the total
amount collected in all the states on
this account aggregated Sb2,5oO, last
wear the revenues from this source
amounted to S1S.245..l3. In nearly all
the states practically 90 per cent Of the
motor car revenues was applied In 1913
to road work, and 40 per cent OF TINS
sum was expended under the control
and supervision of the state highway
departments In forty-two states all.
or a large part. of the revenue from
motor cars must be expended Tor Inc
construction. Improvement or mantle
nance of the public roads, or for the
maintenance of the state highway de-
partments In six states this require
ment is not made.
In 1915 the total number of motor We
hicles registered in the United States
road
in the United States. outside of incor-
porated towns and cities, is approx
mately 2,215,0 900 miles. This would
mean that there is slightly more than
one motor car for each mile of rural
road in the United States, If the dis
tribution of the cars were uniform for
all the states; but il is not. as in the
state of Nevada there is one motor car
for every six miles of rural road, and in
New JERSEY six motor cars for every
mile OF rural road In the United States
there is one motor car registration for
every forty-four persons. in the state of
Iowa there is one registration for every
sixteen persons and in Alabama only
one registration for every 200 persons.
No Uniformity in Fees.
There is no uniformity in the fees re-
Qured of motor vehicles. and there are
wide differences in the requirements for
the registration or licensing of chauffeurs,
owners, dealers and operators. The tend
ency is growing to base the registration
fees for pleasure cars on straight horse
power; for commercial vehicles the tend
ency is to require a part of the fee on
the horsepower of the car and the re-
mainder of the fee either the carrying
capacity of the vehicle or on its weight.
The average fee of the motor cars in the
United States, taking them by and large,
is estimated at s7.i6. Reckoning on the
same basis, the state of Vermont re-
ceived in 1915 a gross revenue of SIS 10
for each car. while Minnesota received
only about so cents annually for each
car. the registration in that state COW
ering a period of three years In Texas
and South Carolina no annual registration
fees are collected. the only requirement
being Il county fee Of so cents and 81. re-
spectiyely, for what is called a perennial
registration. Many states make no dis
tinction so far as the registration records
go between pleasure and commercial
cars. few states register all motor
vehicles. including motor cycles, under
a single class; in some states the regis
tration of motor cycles is not required.
The registrations and revenues in sew
eral typical states for the last three
years show the steadily increasing
growth of the motor car in the transpor-
taticn business Of the country. Three
years ago there were 23,200 motor cars
IN the state OF Connecticut; last year
there were 41,12l. In 1913 there were
1850 cars in Massachusetts: in 1915
there were 102.633. In 1913 there were
1871 cars in Nebraska; in 1915 there
were 80. 900. In 1913 cnere were 1874, 4e5
cars in New York state: in 1915 there
were 255.242. In 1913 there were 1900
cars in Oklahoma: in 1915 there were
25.032. In 1919 there were 90, 900 cars in
Texas: in 1915 there were 10000 In 1913
theAe were 34.246 cars in Wisconsin; In
1915 there were 1914 The total gross
revenues from motor cars in these states
Increased il Connecticut from s3l6 667 in
1919 TO $685., $40 in 1915; in Massachusetts
from s76il54 to 81 ,225. 724, In Nebraska
from. s26. 900 TO s1S3. 900; in New York
from $I,275, 727 to 81. 9el. ISL: in Oklahoma
from $1,000 20 S154,s92; in Texas from,
$4,000 10 $4,000: IN Wisconsin from
SiSb,77 TO S43is77