The Washington herald., 1916-07-16
AMERICANS own
2,445,664 AUTOS
These Cars Pay Fees of
$l8,245,7l3 in Fiscal
Year 1915.

Of automobiles In the United States reach
ed 2.46.e64- and the license and resistra-
ton fees paid for them into the treas
uries of the forty-eight States of the
Union totaled s1s.245. 71s.' including owners
drivers and dealers licenses.
Ninety per cent Of this sum was spent
by the State governments on the improve
ment Of roads and bridges, contributing
more than per cent OF the total amount
required for the proper maintenance of
roads. Comparison with 1906. when auto
mobiles paid less than three-tenths OF ]
per cent of this cost. shows the import
ance Of license money In road construc-
zion.
According to the Information gathered
by the Department of Agriculture, the
growth Of the volume Of fees and registra-
tions is noted by the fact that in 1901
New York-which was the first State in
the Union to require fees-collected only
1854. In 1906. only 5000 cars were regis
tered throughout the entire United States.
BY 1915. however. the number had jumped
to the figure given. SO that there is slight
iy more than one motor car registered
for each OF the 2375, 900 miles of road out
side Of the incorporated towns and cities.
Many Cars in jersey.
The relation between cars and road
mileage varies widely in different sec
tons. There is only one motor car for
every six miles Of rural road in Nevada,
but nearly six motor cars for every mile
OF such road In New Jersey. There is
an average of one motor car registration
for every forty-four persons in the United
States. Iowa apparently leads, however.
with one motor car for every sixteen
persons, while only one for every 200
persons is registered for Alabama
1t must be understood. however, that
the figures of registration do not neces-
sartly represent total number OF cars,
as some Of the States do not require
annual registration, others group pleas
ure and commercial cars and motor
cycles in their accounts. while still other
States do not require registration of
motor cycles.
There is great inequality in the regis
tration fees charged by the different
States. The average for the United
States is S.+S The State of Vermont.
however, secured in 1915 a gross revenue
Of Sl810 for each motor car, while Min
nesota received only about 50 cents an
nually for each car. In Texas and South
Carolina no annual registration fees are
collected, the only requirement being a
county fee OF 30 cents and 81 respectively
for perennial registration Most of the
States, however, also levy annual taxes
on motor vehicles and this adds i'm
portantly to the public revenue con-
tributed by the owners OF motor-pro-
pelled vehicles
Fees for Road Work.
In the use Of fees. however. there
seems to be a general policy of ap-
plying directly to road betterment
the major part of the money collected
from automobilists. In forty-two
States of the Union all or the major
portion of the motor-vehicle revenue
must be expended for the construc-
ton. improvement. or maintenance Of
the public roads, or for the mainten-
ance OF the State highway depart
ment In twenty States, all or the
major portion of the net motor-vehicIe
revenues are expended by or under
the supervision or direction Of the
State highway department In seven
States one-half to one-fourth Of the
State motor-vehicle revenues are ex-
pended through the State highway
department and the remainder by the
local authorities. Many States, in
addition to applying license fees to
road construction expend for this pur-
pose a large part of the fines and
penalties collected from owners
In the number Of registrations New
York State led in 1918 with 255.242:
Illinois was second with 1So.s32; Cali
fornia third with 163.797; and Penn
sylvania fourth with 16o,137 In gross
revenues received from this source.
however, California led with s2.027,4S2;
New York was second with 1881, ISL;
Pennsylvania third with 3l,665,276;
while Iowa, with 145.0o0 cars regis
tered, came fourth in point of revenue
with sl,533.054.