Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-07-13
AUTO FEES FOR ROADS
Sixteen Millions of Amount Col
lected Used for This Purpose.
Nearly Two NIullon ma n Half We
hicles, or More Than One for Bvery
Mile OF Rural Road Reg
istered.

Ninety per cont. of tho registration and
License fees paid In 1915 by automobilists
TO tho btntes, or s1e213.s97. was spent for
tho building and maintenance Of county
anda6tatc roads. according to a compla-
ton Just published by the Office Of public
roads, United States department of agri-
culture, In all. 2.4f5sS4 motor vehicles
were registered IN that year and their
owners paid a total of SIS, 245,713 for regie-
trations and drivers and dealers lioenses
This is an increase Of s. ,s6S,7s0 over 1914,
and an increase of 734.S25 In the number
of vehicles registered Automobile fees
now defray nearly seven per cent. of the
total amount spent on rural road and
bridge building, whoreas in 1915 tho income
from this source was less than three
tenths of one per cent. of the total OK
penditure,
The growth Of tho volume Of fees and
registrations is noted by the fact that In
1901 New York, the first State TO require
fees, collected only 1854. In 1906 only 49, 900
cars wcro registered throughout tho en-
Tlre United States, BY 1915, however, the
humber had jumped 20 the figure given,
SO that there IS slightly more than one
motor car registered for each of the 2,37o,-
0o0 miles OF road outside OF the incorpor-
atod towns and cities.
The rotation between cars and road mi
leage varies widely in different sections
There Is only one motor car for every six
miles OF rural road in Nevada, bu- nearly
six motor cars for every mile OF such
road in New Jersey. There IL an average
Of one motor car registration for every
~ persons In the United States. Iowa ap-
parently leads. however, with one motor
cor for every l6 persons, while only one
for every 200 persons Is registered for Ala
bama
1t must be understo God, however that the
figures of registration do not necessarily
represent total number OF cars. as some
Of the States do not require annual regis
| tration others group pleasure and COM
| rnercial cars and motor cycles in their
accounts. while still other States do not
require registration Of motor cycles.
INEQUALITY OF FEES
There Is great inequality In the regis
tration fees charged by the different
States. Tho average for the United States
was 80. Tho state Of Vermont. how
ever, secured IN 1916 a gross revenue Of
$50 for zach motor car while Minnesota
!
Teach car. In Texas and South Carolina no
annual registration fees are collected the
only requirement being a county fee OF
90 cents and 81 respectively for perennial
lregstrnton. Most of the States however,
also levy annual taxes on motor vehicles
and this adds Importantly to the public
revenue contributed by the owners Of mo-
tor-propelled vehicles.
In the use of fees, however. there seems
to be n general policy Of applying the
major part Of the money collected from
lautomObiiats directly to road betterment
In ~ of the States Of tho union all or the
major portion OF the motor-vehiclo revenue
must bc expended for the construction
Improvement. or maintenance of the pub
lie roads or for the maintenance of the
State highway department. In sever
States one-half to oue-fourth of the State
motor-vehicle revenues are expended
through the State highway department
and the remainder by the local author
ties, Many States, In addition to apply
ing license fees to road construction OK
pend for rhis purpose a large part OF the
fines and penalties collected from own
/. erS.
CALIFORNIA LEADS IN FEES.
In the number of registrations New
York state led In 1915 with %l5,3x Illinois
wns second with 1882: California thir,
with 1G3,7Y; and Pennsylvania fourth witt
, 160.137. In gross revenues received from
. this source, however, California led witt
, SO, 0T 1872 New York was second with 81.
| 991 Isl; Pennsylvania third with sl,S65 276
) while Iowa. with 1900 cars registered
a.