The Washington herald., 1916-01-02
GROWTH OF AUTO
TRADE ENORMOUS
Vast Army Of Owners Arrayed
Against Proposed Federal
!. Tax on Tires.
MACHINES NNUMERABLE
American Automobile Association Sta
tisties Show Big Increase in
Number of Cars.
MACHINES INNUMERABLE

Why the proposed Federal taxes on
automobiles and gasoline probably
will not be enacted into law may be
explained by citing some passenger
car statistics recently complied by the
American Automobile Association.
Particularly in the Middle West,
where roads Improvement fs just get
ting unler way, has the self-propelled
vehicle come into it's own. Iowa has
a passenger automobile for every ff-
teen persons. Furthermore this per-
centage is higher in the country than
In the city districts. according to the
figures of the Iowa Highway Commits
sion. In the State there are 14O.1Ss
cars, which pay I'm registration taxes
31.iS7 800. which money, OF course.
goes TO the upkeep of roads. Iowa has
made a speciality Of dirt road drag
ging. but sentiment Is accommodating
for improved roads which will with
stand the rainy periods.
Many Grrdes in Kansas.
Kansas is another State wherein
the blacksmith shops are being con-
perted into garages. over $4,000 cars
are owned in Kansas. and IL is said
that very rarely now can livery
stable be found in the small towns.
Road conditions are similar to those
found. in Iowa.
Jersey undoubtedly provides for more
motor vehicle travel per mile than any
other commonwealth. over 10000 cars,
of which 7s,300 are passenger vehicles
and some 1900 motor trucks, pay in
annual license fees S1.155, 900. So great
has been the traffic on New Jersey
roads that the commercial organiza-
tons and the A. A A. clubs of the
State have united in a campaign look
n o fnr arI IN q
roads expenditure.
Way Down East" in Maine, 21.574
automobiles were licensed in 1919
Since Maine in great degree is a vaca-
tion State there are thousands of visit
ing cars which use it's roads leading
to shore and lake and mountain re-
sorts. Maine has in process the work
ing out of a State highway system of
some 1900 miles connecting cities and
towns in which are found 73 per cent
of the entire population of the State
and 1s per cent of the total property
valuation. Though Maine is a State
with many miles of coast line, there
is some difference of opinion on mill
tary preparedness. While the Maine
Automobile Association was holding
its annual meeting in Portland at the
same time that the State Grange met
one organization was discussing roads
and motor cars as a part of the de-
fense program while the other organ
ization was passing resolutions con-
tending that preparedness was unnec-
essary.
In California there are over 16O, 600
automobiles owned in the State.
President John A. Wilson is at work
upon a plan which subsequently will
be submitted to the A. 4. A. clubs
looking forward to a countrywide
plan for the mobilizing of the two and
quarter million motor driven We
hicles, to which will be added another
million in 1916. according to the con-
servative estimates of the leading
manufacturers. At the present moment
the average price of all the automo-
biles in use is only s672, thus indi-
eating the popular employment of the
modern economical means of transpor-
tation. In 1899 only 800 cars were
produced.