The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-17

Mile of Rural Road Registered.
 Forty-two States Expend the Major
 Portion of Motor Vehicle Revenues
 On Highway Improvement.
 Ninety per cent. of the registration and license fees paid in. 1915 by auto mobilists to the states, or $16,213,387, was spent, for the building and main tenances of county and state roads, ac- cording to compilation published by the office of Public Roads, U. s. De- partment of Agriculture. NIn/ /all. D. 445. .664 motor vehicles were registered in that year and their owners paid a total of $18,245,713 for registrations and drivers and dealers licenses. This is an increase of $5,S63,760 over 1914, and an increase of 734,325 in the number of vehicles registered. Auto mobile fees now defray nearly seven per cent of the total amount spent on rural road and bridge building, whereas in 1906 the income from this source was less than three-tenths of one per cent. of the total expendi- ture.
 The growth of the volume of fees and registrations is noted by the fact that in 1901 New York, the first state to require fees, collected only $954. In 1906 only 4S.8o0 cars were registered throughout the entire United States. By 19f5.N however, the number had Jumped to the figure given, so that there is slightly more than one motor car registered for each of the 2.375,- 900 miles of road outside of the incor- pQraked towns and cities. The relation between cars and road mileage varies widely in different sec tions. There is only one motor ear 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 A persons in the United States. Iowa apparently leads. however. with one motor car for every 16 persons, while only one for every 200 persons is registered for Alabama
 It must be understood, however, that the. figures of registration do not necessarily represent a total number of cars. as some of the states do not require annual registration, others
 
 and motor cycles in their accounts, while still other states dof not require registration of motor cycles.
 There is great inequality in the registration fees charged by the diff ferent states The average for the United States was $7.46. The state of gross ereNenue bofI $18i10y for each mo- fny noH xUJ4 afo about 50 cents annually for each car In Texas and South Carolina no an nual registration fees are collected, the only requirement being county fee of 50 cents and $1 respectively for perennial registration. Most of the states, however, also levy annual taxes on motor vehicles and this adds inn psoftaHtly, to the pllbljcc5 revenue con- pelled vehicles
 seems to be a general policy of apply ing the major part of the money .col- lected from automobilists directly to road betterment. In AZ of the states of the Union all or the major portion of the motor-vehicle revenue must be expended for the construction, inn aPTOvSIpeaC OT maintenance or the pu D. lie roads or for the maintenance of the State Highway Department In 20 states. all or the major portion of the net motor-vehicle revenues are ex- ended by or under the supervision or direction of the State Highway De- partment- In seven states one-half to one-fourth of the state motor-vehi- cle revenues are expended through through the State Highway Depart menf, and the remainder by the local authorities. Many states, in addition to applying license fees to road con- structfon expend for this purpose a largo part of the fines and penalties collected from owners.
 California Leads in Fees Collected.
 Tn the nunubN of registrations New York state led In 1915 with 255,242; Illinois was second with 1S0,S32; Cali- fornia third, with 163,797, and Penn- sy1vania fourth, with 160,137 In , gross revenues received from this source, however. California led with $2,O27,432: New York was second with 31,ss1,1S1; Pennsylvania third with 31,665,276; while Iowa, with 145,oo0 cars registered, came fourth in point of revenue with $1,533.054